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DAVID  GRAHAM  PHILLIPS 


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LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

CALIFORNIA 

SANTA    CRUZ 


SANTA     CRUZ 


Gift  oi 
Lem  C.    Brown 


SANTA     CRUZ 


HER    SERENE   HIGHNESS 


HER 

SERENE   HIGHNESS 


\DO  aol 


\MMf      VWAj 

\onnn;  1  o  o  o  o I 


Bobcl 


by 
DAVID  GRAHAM    PHILLIPS 


NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 
HARPER  &   BROTHERS    PUBLISHERS 
1902 


Copyright,  1902,  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS. 


All  rights 

Published  May,  1902. 


Contents 


CHAP.  PAGE 

I.  THE  GRAND  DUKE'S  SPANIARD   ...  i 

II.  AN  AMERICAN  INVADES   ......  25 

III.  A  SKIRMISH 45 

IV.  Two  IN  THE  TREES 58 

V.  A  PRINCE  IN  A  PASSION 80 

VI.  HER  SERENE  HIGHNESS  SURRENDERS  108 

VII.  THE  GRAND  DUKE  GIVES  BATTLE  .    .  126 

VIII.  THE  AMERICAN  is  REINFORCED  ...  134 

IX.  THE  CROWN  PRINCE  is  DECORATED    .  145 

X.  THE  GRAND  DUKE  PREPARES  TO  CEL 

EBRATE  159 

XL     AN  OVERWHELMING  DEFEAT  ....  171 

XII.    THE  SPANIARD  is  CAPTURED  ....  193 


Her  Serene   Highness 


i 


The  Grand  Duke's  Spaniard 


the  top  floor  of  Grafton's 
house,  in  Michigan  Avenue, 
there  was  a  room  filled  with 
what  he  called  "  the  sins  of  the 
fathers  " — the  bad  pictures  and  statuary 
come  down  from  two  generations  of  more 
or  less  misdirected  enthusiasm  for  art. 
In  old  age  his  father  had  begun  this  col 
lection;  forty  years  of  dogged  pursuit  of 
good  taste  taught  him  much.  Grafton 


Her       Serene       Highness 

completed  it   as   soon   as    he    came   into 
possession. 

In  him  a  Grafton  at  last  combined 
right  instinct  and  right  judgment.  Al 
though  he  was  not  yet  thirty,  every  pict 
ure  dealer  of  note  in  America  and  Europe 
knew  him,  and  he  knew  not  only  them 
but  also  a  multitude  of  small  dealers  with 
whom  he  carefully  kept  himself  un 
known.  He  was  no  mere  picture  buyer. 
The  pretentious  plutocrats  of  that  class 
excited  in  him  contempt  —  and  resent 
ment.  How  often  had  one  of  them  de 
stroyed,  with  a  coarse  fling  of  a  money 
bag,  his  subtle  plans  to  capture  a  remark 
able  old  picture  at  a  small  price.  For 
he  was  a  true  collector — he  knew  pictures, 
he  knew  where  they  were  to  be  found, 
he  knew  how  to  lie  in  wait  patiently,  how 
to  search  secretly.  And  no  small  part 

2 


VMW      WM/      VWVAf      VW-f 

Vp  Q~O P/  igg  a  of  \ p  a  o  o  /  Vp  o  o  of  lo  n  -o  of 

The    Grand    Duke's    Spaniard 

of  his  pride  in  his  acquisitions  came  from 
what  they  represented  as  exhibits  of  his 
skill  as  a  collector. 

A  few  months  before  his  father  died 
they  were  in  New  York  and  went  togeth 
er  to  see  the  collection  of  that  famous 
plutocratic  wholesale  picture  buyer,  Henry 
Acton. 

"Do  you  see  the  young  Spaniard  over 
there?"  said  the  father,  pointing  to  one 
of  the  best-placed  pictures  in  the  room. 

The  son  looked  at  it  and  was  at  once 
struck  by  the  boldness,  the  imagination 
with  which  it  was  painted.  "Acton  has 
it  credited  to  Velasquez/'  he  said.  "It 
does  look  something  like  Velasquez,  but 
it  isn't,  I'm  certain." 

'That  picture  was  one  of  my  costly 
mistakes,"  continued  the  elder  Graf  ton. 
"  I  bought  it  as  a  Velasquez.  I  was  com- 

3 


Her       Serene       Highness 

pletely  taken  in — paid  eleven  thousand 
dollars  for  it  in  Paris  about  twenty-five 
years  ago.  But  I  soon  found  out  what 
Fd  done.  How  the  critics  did  laugh  at 
me!  When  the  noise  quieted  down  I 
sold  it.  It  was  shipped  back  to  Paris 
and  they  palmed  it  off  on  Acton/' 

Just  then  Acton  joined  them.  "We 
were  talking  of  your  Velasquez  there/' 
said  the  elder  Grafton. 

Acton  grew  red — the  mention  of  that 
picture  always  put  him  angrily  on  the 
defensive.  "Yes;  it  is  a  Velasquez. 
These  ignorant  critics  say  it  isn't,  but  I 
know  a  Velasquez  when  I  see  one.  And 
I  know  Velasquez  painted  that  face,  or 
it  wasn't  painted.  It  '11  hang  there  as 
a  Velasquez  while  I  live,  and  when  I  die 
it  '11  hang  in  the  Metropolitan  Museum 
as  a  Velasquez.  If  they  try  to  catalogue 

4 


VD  o  o  oj  \o i_g _g \oj  \ o  o  o o J  \p  goo/  V o  g_o_p J  Vo  o  D  o/  V o  P  o.PJ 

The   Grand    Duke's    Spaniard 

it  any  other  way  they  lose  my  whole  col 
lection/' 

While  Acton  was  talking  the  younger 
Grafton  was  absorbed  in  the  picture.  The 
longer  he  looked  the  more  he  admired. 
He  cared  for  pictures  as  well  as  for  names, 
and  he  saw  that  this  portrait  was  from 
a  master-hand — the  unknown  painter  had 
expressed  through  the  features  of  that 
one  face  the  whole  of  the  Spaniard  in  the 
Middle  Ages.  He  felt  it  was  a  reflection 
upon  the  name  of  Grafton  that  such  a 
work  of  genius  had  been  cast  out  ob 
viously  because  a  Grafton  could  appre 
ciate  only  names.  He  said  nothing  to 
his  father,  but  then  and  there  made  up 
his  mind  that  he  would  have  that  picture 
back. 

Apparently  there  was  no  hope.  But 
he  was  not  discouraged;  patience  and 

5 


Her       Serene       Highness 

tenacity  were  the  main  factors  in  his  tem 
perament. 

While  he  was  sick  with  typhoid  fever  at 
a  New  York  hotel  Acton  got  into  financial 
difficulties  and  was  forced  to  "realize"  on 
all  his  personal  property.  His  pictures 
were  hurriedly  sent  to  the  auctioneer. 
Grafton,  a  few  days  past  the  crisis  in  his 
illness,  heard  the  news  at  nine  o'clock  in 
the  evening  of  the  third  and  last  day  of 
the  sale.  He  leaped  from  bed  and  ordered 
the  nurse  to  help  him  dress.  He  brushed 
aside  protests  and  pleadings  and  warnings. 
They  went  together  to  Mendelssohn  Hall. 
Grafton  made  the  driver  gallop  the  horses. 
He  rushed  in;  his  Spaniard  was  on  the 
easel. 

"  How  much  is  bid?"  he  called  out. 

Everybody  looked  round,  and  the  auc 
tioneer  replied,  "It's  just  been  sold." 

6 


The    Grand    Duke's    Spaniard 

There  was  a  laugh,  Grafton  looked  so 
wild  and  strange.  Leaning  on  the  arm  of 
the  nurse  he  went  to  the  settlement  desk. 
"To  whom  was  that  picture  sold?"  he  said 
to  the  clerk. 

"On  a  cable  from  Paris,  Mr.  Grafton/' 
interrupted  one  of  the  members  of  the  auc 
tion  firm.  'We've  had  a  standing  order 
from  Candace  Brothers  for  five  years  to 
let  them  know  if  the  picture  came  or  was 
likely  to  come  into  the  market.  And 
they've  cabled  every  six  months  to  remind 
us.  When  Mr.  Acton  decided  to  sell,  we 
sent  word.  They  ordered  us  to  buy,  with 
fifteen  thousand  dollars  as  the  limit." 

Grafton  was  furious;  he  would  gladly 
have  paid  twenty.  "And  what  did  it  go 
for?"  he  asked. 

"Seventeen  hundred,"  replied  the  dealer. 
"Everybody  was  suspicious  of  it.  We 

7 


\AAMf      VWAf      VAAAf 

I  a  D  o  oj  

y— — / 


Her       Serene       Highness 

would  have  got  it  for  five  hundred,  if  it 
hadn't  been  for  an  artist;  he  bid  it  up  to 
his  limit." 

"I  must  sit,"  said  Graf  ton  to  his  nurse. 
'This  is  too  much — too  much." 

He  was  little  the  worse  for  his  impru 
dence,  and  was  able  to  sail  on  the  steamer 
that  carried  the  picture.  He  beat  it  to 
Paris,  and  went  at  once  to  Candace  Broth 
ers,  strolling  in  as  if  he  had  no  purpose 
beyond  killing  time  by  looking  about. 
He  slowly  led  the  conversation  round  to  a 
point  where  Louis  Candace,  to  whom  he 
was  talking,  would  naturally  begin  to 
think  of  the  Acton  sale. 

'We're  getting  in  several  pictures  from 
New  York,"  said  Candace — "from  the 
Acton  sale." 

"I  was  ill  while  it  was  on,"  said  Graf  ton, 
carelessly.  'What  did  you  take?" 

8 


VMAAf      \W^f      WMf     VWAf      WMf      \AAMf     WMf 

i g  o  p  of  YD  o  o o /  VP_O_O P J  VP.P  G_PJ  Vo  o  o  pj  yo  g  o  o  J  V o  p  o pi 

The    Grand    Duke's    Spaniard 

"A  Rousseau,  a  Corot,  a  Wyant,  and  a 
— Velasquez/'  He  hesitated  before  speak 
ing  the  last  name,  and  looked  confused  as 
Grafton  slightly  elevated  his  eyebrows. 
"Of  course/'  he  hurried  on,  "we  strongly 
suspect  the  Velasquez;  in  fact,  we  know 
it's  not  genuine.  But  we're  delighted  to 
get  it." 

"I  don't  understand,"  said  Grafton. 
"I  know  you  too  well  to  suspect  that  it 
will  be  sold  as  a  Velasquez." 

"But  certainly  not.  Even  if  we  did 
that  sort  of  thing,  we  couldn't  deceive  any 
of  your  rich  count^men  or  any  of  the 
English  with  it.  The  story  is  too  well 
known.  No;  we  bought  it  for  His  Royal 
Highness  the  Grand  Duke  of  Zweiten- 
bourg.  It  is — or  he  thinks  it  is — a  portrait 
of  one  of  his  Spanish  ancestors.  His 
agent  tells  me  that  it  is  the  only  known 

9 


Her       Serene       Highness 

work  of  a  remarkable  young  Spaniard  who 
was  soon  afterwards  killed  at  the  siege 
of  Barcelona,  early  in  the  eighteenth  cen 
tury.  They  are  not  even  sure  of  his  name. 
The  Grand  Duke  was  most  anxious  to  get 
it.  For  years  we  have  been  sending  him 
semiannual  bulletins  on  Monsieur  Acton's 
health  and  financial  condition/' 

Grafton's  heart  sank.  Here  was  a  true 
collector — a  past-master  of  the  art.  "If  I 
hadn't  been  a  mere  novice,"  thought  Graf- 
ton,  "I,  too,  would  have  had  bulletins  on 
Acton,  and  a  standing  order.  As  it  is,  my 
trouble  has  only  begun,"  for,  being  him 
self  a  true  collector,  with  all  the  fatalism 
of  the  collector's  temperament,  he  was  not 
despairing,  was  only  the  more  resolute  in 
face  of  these  new  difficulties. 

"His  Royal  Highness,"  continued  Can- 
dace,  '  wants  the  picture  because  it  fills 

10 


loogp/  \oo  go  I  \ao  aal  \p  o  o  of  \oooo/  I  o  o  o  o  /  loo  DO) 

The    Grand    Duke's    Spaniard 

one  of  the  gaps  in  his  gallery  of  ances 
tral  portraits/'  Under  skilful  questioning, 
Candace  yielded  the  further  information 
that  the  keeper  of  the  Grand  Duke's  privy 
purse,  Baron  Zeppstein,  would  arrive  the 
following  Thursday  personally  to  escort 
the  picture  to  Zweitenbourg. 

It  reached  Paris  on  Tuesday,  and  Graf- 
ton  took  Jack  Campbell,  whom  he  found  at 
the  Ritz,  round  to  Candace' s  on  Wednes 
day  morning.  Campbell,  having  been  thor 
oughly  coached,  made  offers  for  several 
pictures,  all  too  low,  then  pretended  to 
fall  in  love  with  the  Spaniard.  He  in 
sisted  that  it  was  a  Velasquez — Grafton 
seemed  to  be  disgusted  with  him,  some 
what  ashamed  of  him.  When  Candace 
told  him  that  the  picture  was  sold,  he  had 
them  send  a  telegram  to  the  Grand  Duke 
offering  eight  thousand  dollars  for  it.  A 

ii 


Her       Serene       Highness 

curt  refusal  to  sell  at  any  price  came  a  few 
hours  later. 

Campbell  and  Grafton  were  there  the 
next  morning  when  Baron  Zeppstein  came. 
As  he  was  voluble,  and  appreciative  of 
the  rare  pleasure  of  an  attentive  listener, 
Grafton  rapidly  ingratiated  himself,  and 
soon  had  him  flowing  on  the  subject  of 
"my  royal  master/' 

"  His  Royal  Highness  has  two  passions/' 
said  the  Baron,  "Americans  and  his  pict 
ures.  You  Americans  are  making  aston 
ishing — I  may  say  appalling — inroads  in 
Germany;  your  ideas  are  getting  even  into 
the  heads  of  our  women,  our  girls.  I  don't 
like  it;  I  don't  like  it.  It's  breeding  a 
race  of  thinking  women,  I  can't  endure 
a  thinking  woman.  You  can't  imagine 
what  I'm  suffering  just  now  through  Her 
Serene  Highness;  but  no  matter.  Your 

12 


The    Grand    Duke's    Spaniard 

terrible  democratic  ideas  of  disrespect  for 
tradition,  for  institutions,  for  restraints, 
are  slipping  about  even  in  the  palaces  of 
our  kings.  His  Royal  Highness — the  story 
goes  that  he  was  in  love  with  one  of  your 
beautiful  countrywomen  and  that  she  re 
fused  to  marry  him;  she  did  marry  his 
brother,  Duke  Wolfgang — morganatically, 
of  course.  It  would  be  impossible  for  one 
of  the  house  of  Traubenheim  to  marry 
a  commoner  in  the  regular  way.  Your 
American  invasion  hasn't  extended  that 
far—" 

"And  the  pictures?"  interrupted  Graf- 
ton,  impatient  of  the  digression. 

"Ah — yes  —  there  His  Royal  Highness 
has  a  high  enthusiasm,  a  noble  passion. 
He  is  positively  mad  about  Rembrandts. 
He  has  a  notable  collection  of  them,  and 
is  always  trying  to  add  to  it." 

13 


Her       Serene       Highness 

Graf  ton's  eyes  dropped;  he  feared  that 
this  simple  old  Zweitenbourgian  might 
read  his  thoughts.  "  Rembrandts?"  he 
said.  'That  interests  me.  I  have  the 
same  craze  in  a  small  way."  And  he 
drew  the  Baron  on.  He  learned  that  a 
Rembrandt  filled  the  Grand  Duke  with 
the  same  burning  longing  for  possession 
with  which  his  craze,  the  spurious  Velas 
quez,  was  now  filling  him.  He  began 
to  see  victory.  He  cabled  his  Chicago 
agent  to  send  him  forthwith,  in  care  of 
Candace  Brothers,  his  two  examples  of 
Rembrandt's  early  work.  When  he  was 
a  boy,  travelling  about  with  his  father, 
he  had  found  them  in  an  obscure  shop  in 
Leyden.  They  now  interested  him  little 
except  as  reminders  of  an  early  triumph. 
But  to  a  collector  of  Rembrandts  they 
would  be  treasures. 

14 


Vp  OOP/  Yg  O  O JD_|  \R  O  D  Oj  \O  O  O_Qj  \O  O  O j>/  \OODPJ 

The    Grand    Duke's    Spaniard 

A  few  days  after  sending  the  cable  he 
went  in  the  morning  with  Mrs.  Camp 
bell  to  Paquin's — Mrs.  Campbell  was  at 
Paris  for  her  annual  shopping.  She  was 
to  be  fitted  for  six  dresses,  ^he  explained, 
and  that  meant  an  hour  —  perhaps  two 
or  three  hours.  But  Grafton  was  so  at 
tracted  by  the  scene  that  he  said  he  would 
wait,  at  least  until  he  was  tired.  He 
seated  himself  on  the  sofa  against  the 
wall,  near  the  door.  It  was  in  line  with 
the  passage-way  into  which  the  fitting- 
salons  open. 

The  general  room  was  crowded  with 
women — women  in  the  fashions  of  the  day 
preparing  for  the  fashions  of  the  morrow; 
girls — the  pretty,  graceful,  polite  dress 
makers'  assistants  famed  in  Parisian  song 
and  story  —  persuading,  soothing,  cajol 
ing,  flattering.  There  were  a  few  men, 

15 


Her       Serene       Highness 

all  of  them  fitters  except  two.  The  ex 
ceptions  were  Grafton,  trying  to  efface 
himself,  and  Paquin,  trying  to  escape. 
He  had  come  forth  at  the  request  of  a 
customer  important  enough  to  be  worthy 
of  personal  attention,  but  not  important 
enough  to  be  admitted  to  the  honor  of  his 
private  consultation  -  room.  The  women 
had  seized  him  and,  regardless  of  his  bored 
and  absent  expression  and  speech,  were 
swarming  about  him,  impeding  his  retreat. 
Grafton  soon  forgot  himself,  so  interested 
was  he  in  his  surroundings — the  clamor 
in  French,  German,  English,  American, 
Italian,  Spanish;  the  exhibits  of  manners 
grand  and  manners  sordid;  the  play  of 
feminine  emotions — the  passion  for  dress, 
the  thoughtful  pauses  before  plunging 
into  tempting  extravagances,  the  reckless 
yieldings  to  temptation,  the  woe -begone 

16 


VMMf 

Vo_O_D  PJ  Vfj^O  O^J  Vp  D  D  OJ 

The    Grand    Duke's    Spaniard 

putting  aside  of  temptation;  the  mingling 
of  women  of  all  degrees,  from  royalty  and 
American  to  actress  and  demi-mondaine. 
And  they  so  far  ignored  the  male  intruder 
that  they  were  presently  tossing  aside 
dresses  into  his  lap  or  spreading  them 
against  his  knees  for  better  display.  He 
retreated  along  the  sofa  before  up-piling 
silks  and  satins  and  laces  and  linens.  At 
last  he  had  to  choose  between  being  sub 
merged  and  abandoning  the  sofa.  He 
still  lingered,  meekly  standing,  his  hat 
and  stick  buried.  As  he  was  examining 
an  evening  dress  that  pleased  him  mightily 
— a  new  kind  of  silk  in  new  shades,  a  cream 
white  over  which  a  haze  of  the  palest  blue- 
green  seemed  to  be  drifting — he  chanced 
to  glance  along  the  passage-way. 

One  of  the  fitting-salons  was  open,  and 
half  in  the  doorway,  half  in  the  hall,  stood 

17 


Her       Serene       Highness 

a  young  woman.  Her  waist  was  off ; 
her  handsome  shoulders  and  arms  were 
bare,  yet  no  more  than  if  she  had  been  in 
evening  dress.  She  had  fine  brown  hair 
with  much  red  in  it.  Her  features  were 
strong  and  rather  haughty,  but  delicate 
and  pleasing.  Her  skin  was  dead-white, 
colorless  even  on  her  cheeks.  She  was 
frowning  and  biting  her  lip  and  tapping 
her  foot  on  the  floor.  As  he  glanced  she 
caught  his  eye.  She  beckoned  imperiously. 

He  put  down  the  dress  and  went  slowly 
towards  her. 

"Quick/'  she  said,  in  French.  "My 
patience  is  exhausted.  I've  been  waiting 
half  an  hour  and  no  fitter  has  come.  Are 
you  a  fitter?" 

"No,"  he  replied,  also  in  French.  "I'm 
not  exactly  a  fitter;  I'm  a — an  American. 
But  I'll  get  you  one." 

18 


The   Grand    Duke's    Spaniard 

" Heavens!"  exclaimed  the  young  wom 
an,  in  English,  and  she  darted  into  her 
salon  and  slammed  the  door. 

Two  attendants — a  man  and  a  woman 
— came  at  him  from  opposite  directions. 
"But,  monsieur!  But,  monsieur!  What 
does  monsieur  do  here?  It  is  forbidden!" 
Their  politeness  was  thin,  indeed,  over  their 
alarm  and  indignation. 

'The  lady  called  me,"  explained  Graf- 
ton,  calmly.  "  It  was  impossible  for  me  to 
disobey  her.  She  thought  I  was  a  fitter." 

As  he  spoke  she  opened  her  door  and 
showed  her  head.  The  attendants,  with 
serious  faces,  began  to  pour  out  apologies. 
"Pardon,  Your  Serene  Highness!  We 
hope  that  your — " 

"It  was  my  fault,"  she  interrupted,  in 
French,  and  he  noted  that  she  had  a  Ger 
man  accent. w  Her  look  of  condescending 

19 


Her       Serene       Highness 

good-nature  was  not  flattering  to  him. 
It  said  that  in  the  mind  of  Her  Serene 
Highness  he  and  the  two  attendants 
formed  a  trio  of  inferior  persons  before 
whom  she  could  conduct  herself  with 
almost  as  much  freedom  as  before  so  many 
blocks  of  wood. 

f'No  apology  is  necessary/'  he  said, 
with  abrupt  courtesy.  '  You  wish  a  fitter. 
Til  see  that  you  get  one  at  once." 

Her  Serene  Highness  flushed  and  with 
drew  her  head.  'Take  him  away/'  she 
called  through  the  door,  in  a  haughty  tone, 
"and  send  a  fitter/' 

Grafton  faced  the  attendants.  He  drew 
from  his  pocket  two  ten -franc  pieces  and 
gave  one  to  each.  "Have  the  goodness 
to  get  mademoiselle  her  fitter  instantly/' 
he  said. 

They  bowed  and  thanked  him  and  he 

20 


kMAAf      VJUAf      VWy     VMW 

Van  ooj  yao  on/  \o  a  go]  \p  on  aj 

f~"  •"  ^7  r      ' "  i  y  "  "~~j  C.'.'.'.-i'  1 


The    Grand    Duke's    Spaniard 

slowly  returned  to  his  sofa.  Half  an 
hour  and  she  issued  from  her  salon  in 
street  costume.  Close  behind  her  came 
an  old-maidish  German  woman.  As  they 
reached  the  door,  Grafton  held  it  open. 
Her  Serene  Highness  drew  herself  up 
coldly.  He  bowed  with  politeness  and 
without  impertinence,  and  closed  the  door 
behind  them. 

'Who  was  that  lady?"  he  said  to  her 
fitter,  hurrying  past  with  her  dresses  on 
his  arm. 

"  Her  Serene  Highness  the  Duchess 
Erica  of  Zweitenbourg,  monsieur.  She  is 
the  niece  of  His  Royal  Highness  the  Grand 
Duke  Casimir." 

Grafton  met  her  twice  the  next  day. 
In  the  morning  he  was  at  the  tomb  of 
Napoleon.  A  woman — one  of  two  walking 
together  a  short  distance  in  front  of  him 

21 


Her       Serene       Highness 

— dropped  her  handkerchief.  He  picked 
it  up  and  overtook  her. 

"  Pardon,  mademoiselle, ' '  he  said.  '  Your 
handkerchief/'  She  paused.  He  saw  that 
it  was  Her  Serene  Highness.  At  the  same 
time  she  recognized  him  and  the  smile 
she  had  begun  died  away.  She  took  the 
handkerchief  with  an  icy  "Thanks."  He 
dropped  back,  but  their  way  happened  to 
be  his.  Her  companion  glanced  round  pres 
ently  ;  he  was  near  enough  to  hear  her  say, 
"The  person  is  following  Your  Serene 
Highness."  He  came  on,  passed  them  as 
if  unconscious  of  their  existence,  and  they 
changed  their  route. 

In  the  afternoon  he  was  at  the  Louvre. 
He  saw  two  women  coming  towards  him 
— Her  Serene  Highness  and  her  com 
panion.  As  they  saw  him  they  turned 
abruptly  into  a  side  corridor.  He  came 

22 


The    Grand    Duke's    Spaniard 

to  where  they  had  turned;  there  lay  a 
handkerchief.  He  picked  it  up  and  noted 
that  it  was  a  fine  one,  deeply  bordered 
with  real  lace.  In  the  corner,  under  a 
ducal  crown,  was  the  initial  "E."  He 
walked  rapidly  after  the  two  women  and, 
although  they  quickened  their  pace,  he 
was  soon  beside  them. 

"Pardon,  mademoiselle/'  he  began. 

Her  Serene  Highness  flushed  with  an 
ger  and  her  gray  eyes  blazed.  "This  is 
insufferable!"  she  exclaimed.  "If  you  do 
not  leave — " 

"Your  handkerchief, "he  said,  extending 
it,  his  eyes  smiling  but  his  face  grave. 

She  looked  at  it  in  horror.  "Monsieur 
is  mistaken,"  she  said,  fighting  against 
embarrassment  and  a  feeling  that  she 
had  made  herself  ridiculous. 

"  Mademoiselle  is  mistaken — doubly  mis- 

23 


Her       Serene       Highness 

taken/'  he  replied,  tranquilly.  "The  hand 
kerchief  bears  her  monogram,  and  " — here 
he  smiled  satirically  —  "if  mademoiselle 
is  vain  enough  to  mistake  common  cour 
tesy  for  impudence,  I  am  not  vain  enough 
to  mistake  accident — even  twice  repeated 
accident — for  design." 

She  looked  at  him  with  generous,  im 
pulsive  repentance  and  took  the  hand 
kerchief  from  his  outstretched  hand.  "It 
is  mine,"  she  said,  in  English,  "and  I  re 
gret  my  foolish  mistake."  Her  tone  had 
no  suggestion  of  condescension.  It  was 
the  tone  of  the  universal  woman  in  pres 
ence  of  the  universal  man. 

He  bowed  his  appreciation  without  speak 
ing  and  went  rapidly  away. 

24 


n 


An    American    Invades 


his  Rembrandts  came, 
Grafton  took  the  package  to 
his  hotel,  opened  it,  assured 
himself  that  they  were  in  good 
condition,  sealed  it,  and  left  it  with  Can- 
dace  Brothers.  "I  may  telegraph  you  to 
forward  it/'  he  said.  But  he  did  not  tell 
them  what  was  in  it  nor  where  he  was 
going;  they  might  betray  him  or  fore 
stall  him,  and  so  deprive  him  of  the  pleas 
ure  of  a  successful  campaign  in  person 
and  unaided. 

He  reached  the  town  of   Zweitenbourg 
at  noon  on  a  Monday,  five  days  after  his 

25 


Her       Serene       Highness 

Spaniard.  At  half-past  two  he  was  in  a 
walking  suit  and  on  his  way  to  the  Grand 
Ducal  Palace,  "The  Castle/'  to  reconnoitre. 
It  was  July,  and  the  air  of  that  elevated 
valley  was  both  warm  and  bracing.  From 
the  beautiful  road  hills  and  mountains 
could  be  seen  on  every  side — the  frontiers 
of  the  Grand  Duchy. 

It  had  once  been  almost  a  kingdom. 
It  was  now  shrunk,  through  the  bad  politi 
cal  and  matrimonial  management  of  the 
reigning  house,  to  less  than  two  hundred 
and  fifty  square  miles.  But  the  Zweiten- 
bourgians  were  proudly  patriotic  —  they 
disdained  mere  size;  they  were  all  for 
quality,  not  quantity.  Besides,  they  were 
as  vague  in  general  geography  as  the 
average  human  being;  they  thoroughly 
knew  only  the  internal  geography  of  Zwei- 
tenbourg.  In  their  text-books  the  Grand 

26 


An       American       Invades 

Duchy  posed  as  the  central  state  of  civili 
zation.  In  their  school  histories  its  grand 
dukes  cut  a  great  figure.  For  example, 
it  was  their  Grand  Duke  Godfrey  who, 
slightly  assisted  by  a  Prussian  general, 
Bliicher,  won  the  battle  of  Waterloo.  Well 
ington  comes  in  for  a  mere  mention,  as  a 
sort  of  "among  those  present" — "a  small 
force  of  English  under  a  Lord  Welling 
ton/'  so  runs  the  account,  "was  defeated 
in  the  first  day's  engagement  and  almost 
caused  the  rout  of  the  Grand  Duke  God 
frey  and  his  allies;  but  on  the  second  day, 
after  the  English  had  been  beaten,  and 
when  they  were  about  to  run,  the  Grand 
Duke  and  Bliicher  came  up  with  the  main 
army  and  Napoleon  was  overthrown/'  In 
the  Zweitenbourg  atlases  the  map  of  each 
country  was  printed  on  a  separate  plate, 
and  all  were  apparently  of  about  the  same 

27 


Her       Serene       Highness 

size.  And,  finally,  all  Zweitenbourgians 
knew  that  their  men  were  the  bravest  and 
their  women  the  most  beautiful  in  the  world, 
and  that  all  foreign  nations  were  inhabit 
ed  by  peoples  who  were  ignorant,  foolish, 
and  perfidious. 

After  two  miles  between  garden-like 
farms,  Graf  ton  found  himself  at  the  entrance 
to  what  seemed  a  wilderness.  There  were 
two  huge  stone  pillars,  each  capped  with 
a  grand -ducal  crown.  There  were  two 
great  bronze  gates  with  a  large  C  under  a 
crown  in  the  centre  of  each.  The  gates 
were  open,  and  between  the  pillars  went 
the  military  road,  clean,  smooth,  perfect, 
to  plunge  into  the  wilderness.  Beside  the 
entrance  was  an  ivy-covered  lodge,  in  front 
of  it  a  soldier  in  the  blue-and-white  uni 
form  of  the  Grand  Duke's  Household 
Guards.  He  was  marching  up  and  down, 

28 


An       American       Invades 

his  rifle  at  shoulder  arms.  As  Grafton 
advanced  he  halted  and  shifted  his  rifle  to 
a  challenge. 

"Show  your  passport/'  he  commanded, 
in  a  queer  dialect  of  German. 

"I  have  no  passport/'  replied  Grafton. 

The  soldier  looked  at  him  stupidly. 
"But  every  foreigner  has  a  passport/'  he 
said. 

"I  have  none/' 

"  Ah;  very  well."  The  soldier  shrugged 
his  shoulders  and  resumed  his  march. 

Grafton  stood  where  he  had  halted. 
"May  I  go  on?"  he  asked. 

'Yes;  why  not?"  said  the  soldier. 

"  But  why  did  you  ask  for  my  passport?" 

"  It's  in  the  rules.  Pass  on  or  you  may 
get  into  trouble.  You  know  perfectly  well 
that  all  are  admitted  to  the  park  at  this 


season. ' 


29 


Her       Serene       Highness 

'Then  there  is  a  closed  season?" 

"I  don't  know/'  said  the  soldier,  crossly. 
"  I  never  heard  of  one.  It's  in  the  rules  to 
admit  every  one  from  April  until  December. 
No  one  comes  the  rest  of  the  year.  But  I 
don't  suppose  he  could  be  shut  out  if  he 
did.  There's  no  rule  which  says  so." 

'Then  why  these  rules?" 

The  soldier  gave  the  profoundly  thought 
ful  frown  of  those  incapable  of  thought. 
"I  don't  know,"  he  said.  "Soldiers  must 
have  rules.  Everything  must  be  done  by 
rules,  so  that  it  will  be  done  just  as  it 
used  to  be.  We've  had  the  same  rules — 
oh,  hundreds  of  years.  Nothing  must  be 
changed.  What's  new  is  bad,  what's  old 
is  good." 

Grafton  trudged  on  into  the  wilderness. 
The  road  gradually  swept  into  another 
road.  He  saw  that  it  was  a  circle,  a  girdle, 

30 


An       American       Invades 

about  a  lake  which  was  perhaps  four  miles 
long  and  two  miles  wide,  blue  as  the  sky 
and  mirroring  it  to  its  smallest  flake  of 
snowy  cloud.  Opposite  him,  across  the 
width  of  the  lake,  towered  and  spread 
The  Castle,  with  turrets  and  battlements, 
a  vast,  irregular  mantle  of  ivy  draping 
part  of  its  old  gray  front.  He  could  see 
terraces  and  lawns  of  brilliant  green,  the 
gaudiness  of  flower-beds  and  flowering 
bushes,  red  and  blue  and  purple  and  yel 
low.  "  Where  Her  Serene  Highness  lives/' 
he  thought. 

He  decided  to  walk  as  far  as  The  Castle; 
next  day  he  would  drive  and  perhaps  pay 
his  respects  to  Baron  Zeppstein.  He  was 
impressed  by  the  loneliness  of  the  park, 
apparently  an  untouched  wilderness  ex 
cept  the  road.  The  birds  were  singing. 
Now  and  then  there  would  be  a  crash  and 


Her       Serene       Highness 

he  would  see  a  deer  making  off,  or  a  whir 
and  a  scurrying  flapping,  and  he  would 
get  a  glimpse  of  some  wild  bird  in  panic- 
stricken  flight.  As  he  came  nearer  to  The 
Castle  the  signs  of  habitation  were  nu 
merous,  but  still  not  a  human  being.  At 
last  he  was  close  to  the  walls,  looking  up 
at  them. 

He  could  see  nothing  but  the  perfect 
order  of  the  shrubbery  to  indicate  that 
any  one  had  been  there  recently.  The 
huge  gates — solid  doors  rather  than  gates 
— were  closed.  The  sun  was  shining, 
the  waters  of  the  lake  glistened,  the  foli 
age  was  fresh  and  vivid,  the  soft,  strong 
air  blew  in  a  gentle  breeze.  But  there 
was  a  profound  hush,  as  if  the  grim  old 
fortress-palace,  and  all  within  and  around 
it,  had  long  been  locked  in  a  magic  sleep. 

A  sense  of  uncanniness  was  creeping 

32 


An       American       Invades 

over  him  in  spite  of  his  incredulous  Ameri 
can  mind.  He  was  startled  by  a  trumpet 
blast  which  seemed  to  come  from  the  depth 
of  the  woods  to  the  left.  Standing  in  the 
middle  of  the  road,  he  turned.  He  had 
just  time  to  jump  aside. 

Out  of  the  woods,  by  a  cross-road  he  had 
not  noted,  swept  a  gorgeous  cavalcade. 
As  he  looked  he  felt  more  strongly  than 
ever  like  a  time- wanderer  who  had  been, 
in  a  twinkling,  borne  backward  several 
centuries.  First  to  pass  him  at  a  mad 
gallop  were  six  soldiers  on  tall  black  charg 
ers.  They  and  their  horses  were  trapped 
in  the  blue  and  white  of  the  Household 
Guards.  Corselets  and  plumed  helmets 
and  chains  clashed  and  rattled  and  flashed 
as  they  flew  past.  A  few  yards  behind 
them,  at  the  same  furious  pace,  came  a 
graceful,  long-bodied  carriage  of  strange 
3  33 


Her       Serene       Hi  g  h  ness 

coloring  and  design,  drawn  by  eight  black 
horses  with  postilions.  On  a  curious  foot 
board  at  the  back  of  the  carriage  stood  two 
footmen  in  a  mediaeval  livery.  They  were 
hanging  on  by  straps.  Behind  the  car 
riage  came  six  more  black-horsed  cavalry 
men  of  the  Household  Guards. 

As  Grafton  gaped  through  the  dust 
in  the  wake  of  this  ancient  spectacle  it 
halted  before  The  Castle's  gates  so  ab 
ruptly  that  every  horse  reared  to  its 
haunches.  But  immediately  all  was  quiet, 
motionless.  One  of  the  cavalrymen  put 
a  trumpet  to  his  lips  and  sent  a  blast  echo 
ing  and  re-echoing  like  a  peal  of  fairy 
laughter  to  and  fro  over  the  lake.  As 
if  there  were  enchantment  in  that  blast, 
the  great  weather  and  battle  scarred  doors 
of  The  Castle  swung  noiselessly  back. 
Out  came  eight  men  in  mediaeval  costumes, 

34 


An       American       Invades 

each  bearing  a  long,  slender,  brazen  trum 
pet.  Four  went  to  either  side  of  the  en 
trance.  They  put  the  trumpets  to  their 
lips  and  sounded  a  fanfare. 

Grafton's  expectation  was  at  excite 
ment  pitch.  What  did  this  gorgeous  re 
vival  of  medievalism  presage?  what  daz 
zling  apparition  was  about  to  greet  his 
ravished  eyes? 

Now  appeared  a  man  in  mediaeval  court 
costume,  resplendent  in  velvet  and  lace 
and  silver  braid.  He  was  walking  back 
ward,  bowing  low  at  each  step,  his  velvet, 
beplumed  hat  in  his  hand.  And  then 
the  central  figure  —  His  Royal  Highness 
Casimir  of  Traubenheim,  Grand  Duke 
of  Zweitenbourg,  Prince  of  the  Holy  Ro 
man  Empire,  Margrave  of  Plaut,  Prince 
of  Wiesser,  of  Dinn,  of  Feltenheim,  Count 
in  Brausch  and  in  Ranau.  He  was  a 

35 


Vp  o  o  q  /  V D  ooo/  V  P_P__P  dV  \p  o  p  of  \oj3_  o_g/  Vq  o  o  o  /          \p  DO  o/ 

Her       Serene       Highness 

sallow,  cross-looking  little  man,  with  thin 
shoulders,  legs,  and  arms,  and  a  great 
paunch  of  a  stomach,  dilated  and  sagged 
from  overfeeding.  He  was  dressed  in  a 
baggy  tweed  suit  and  a  straight-brimmed 
top -hat.  He  seated  himself  in  the  car 
riage. 

"What  an  anticlimax!"  thought  Graf- 
ton.  But  there  was  a  second  and  briefer 
flourish  of  the  trumpets,  and  then  appeared 
the  Duchess  Erica,  in  a  white  cloth  dress 
and  a  big  white  hat  and  carrying  a  white 
parasol.  Grafton  felt  like  applauding. 
'The  spectacle  is  looking  up,"  he  said. 
He  was  near  enough  to  note  that  her  sweet 
face  was  discontented,  impatient,  almost 
sad.  She  seated  herself  beside  the  Grand 
Duke.  The  mounted  trumpeter  blew,  the 
cavalrymen  in  front  wheeled  and  struck 
spurs  into  their  horses,  the  whole  proces- 

36 


An       American       Invades 

sion  was  instantly  whirling  away — it  was 
gone.  Graf  ton  glanced  at  The  Castle  doors ; 
they  were  closed  again  and  the  trum 
peters  and  the  courtier  had  disappeared. 
The  dust  settled,  the  magic  sleep  de 
scended. 

Grafton  might  have  thought  himself 
the  victim  of  an  illusion  had  he  not  seen, 
far  away  across  the  lake,  a  cloud  of  dust, 
and  in  front  of  it  the  gaudy  cavalcade 
and  the  grand  -  ducal  carriage,  the  shine 
of  blue  and  silver  and  polished  steel  rush 
ing  along  as  if  fleeing  from  a  fiend. 
And  after  a  few  minutes  it  came  towards 
The  Castle  again  from  the  other  direction. 
The  horses  were  dripping,  their  coats 
streaked  with  foam.  At  the  entrance 
there  were  the  same  startling  halt,  the  same 
mysterious  opening  of  doors,  the  same 
stage-like  assembling  of  trumpeters,  the 

37 


Her       Serene       Highness 

same  flourishes.  The  Grand  Duke  and 
his  niece  and  the  attendants  disappeared, 
the  procession  fled  into  the  woods;  there 
was  silence  and  ancient  repose  once  more. 

Grafton  set  out  on  the  return  walk, 
trying  to  force  himself  to  stop  thinking 
of  Her  Serene  Highness  and  to  resume 
thinking  of  her  uncle  and  his  Spaniard. 
He  had  not  gone  far  when  a  court-officer 
issued  from  a  by-path.  He  paused  to  get 
a  good  look  at  this  romantic  figure,  and 
presently  recognized  beneath  the  enfold- 
ings  of  finery  his  commonplace,  voluble 
acquaintance  of  the  Paris  picture  -  shop, 
Baron  Zeppstein. 

'Why,  how  d'  ye  do,  Baron  Zeppstein!" 
he  called  out. 

The  Baron  looked  at  him  superciliously, 
then  collapsed  into  cordiality.  "Meester 
Grafton!"  he  exclaimed.  "It  is  a  pleas- 

38 


\  0.0  .0  O/ 


POOP 


An       American       Invades 

ure  —  a  joyful  surprise.  I  did  not  know 
you  at  first/' 

"Nor  I  you,"  said  Grafton.  "I  seem  to 
be  the  only  modern  thing  here — except  the 
old  gentleman  who  took  that  quiet  jog 
around  the  lake  a  few  minutes  ago." 

"His  Royal  Highness/'  corrected  the 
Baron,  pompously.  "He  takes  a  drive 
every  afternoon/' 

"A  good  show/'  said  Grafton.  "But 
I  think  I'd  tire  of  it.  I'd  rather  look  at 
it  than  be  in  it.  I  should  say  that  he 
earned  his  salary." 

The  Baron  laughed  vaguely.  "You 
Americans  do  not  understand  our  ways," 
he  said.  'You  are  so  practical — so  busy. 
You  have  no  time  for  tradition  and  beauty 
and  ceremony." 

"No;  we're  a  common  lot,"  said  Graf- 
ton.  'We'd  think  this  sort  of  thing  was 

39 


V(^p  oof  \D  o  p  p  /  \  P.O  D  P/  Vp_P  P  p/  VP  a  oaf  \o  ODD/  VD  n  p  pj 

Her       Serene       Highness 

a  joke  if  it  happened  outside  of  a  circus. 
But  it's  a  very  serious  business,  isn't  it?" 
His  face  was  grave. 

"It  is;  it  is,  indeed/'  said  Zeppstein, 
his  shallow  old  face  taking  on  a  look  of 
melancholy  importance.  "But  we  must 
do  our  public  duty;  we  must  accept  the 
cares  of  high  station.  And  His  Royal 
Highness — ah,  how  he  suffers !  We  others 
have  our  relaxations  —  we  get  away  to 
our  families.  But  His  Royal  Highness 
— this  is  his  vacation.  And,  mein  Gott, 
he  yawns  and  curses  all  day  long.  Yes, 
it  is  trying  to  be  near  the  great  of  earth, 
but  not  so  trying  as  to  be  great/' 

"He  looks  ill-temper  ed,"  said  Graf  ton, 
sympathetically. 

'But  think  what  he  suffers.  Imagine! 
Usually  he  must  wear  a  heavy,  tight  uni 
form  and  a  steel  helmet;  he  says  it  has 

40 


An       American       Invades 

given  him  the  headache  almost  every  day 
for  twenty -seven  years.  But  the  dignity 
of  the  nation  must  be  maintained." 

"Yes,  indeed,"  said  Grafton.  "And 
when  is  the  best  time  to  see  him?  I'm 
going  to  call  on  him." 

Zeppstein  looked  at  the  American  as  if 
he  thought  him  insane.  "But,  my  dear 
sir,"  he  said,  deprecatingly,  "you  don't 
understand.  You  will  have  to  wait  until 
His  Royal  Highness's  vacation  is  over. 
Then  you  must  go  to  your  minister  and 
he  will  lay  your  wish  before  the  Grand 
Chamberlain.  And  if  possible  your  name 
will  be  placed  on  the  list  for  one  of  the 
levees — there  are  five  each  winter." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  want  to  see  the  Grand  Duke 
in  his  official  capacity;  it's  a  little  private 
matter — about  a  picture." 

"But    the    Grand   Duke    has    no    other 


Vpoool  Voooof  \aoool  \p  oo  a  I  \o  go  ol  \o  no  a  I  \a  a  a  a  I 

Her       Serene       Highness 

capacity.  He  is  head  of  the  state;  he  is 
the  state  every  hour  of  every  day,  except 
when  he's  abroad.  Then  he  often  gra 
ciously  condescends  to  be  a  mere  gentle- 


man/ 


"But  I  can't  wait.  You  ought  to  be 
able  to  arrange  it.  You've  got  influence." 

"Yes."  Baron  Zeppstein  was  flattered. 
"But,  unfortunately,  none  is  permitted  to 
speak  to  His  Royal  Highness  unless  he 
has  commanded  it — that  is,  no  one  but 
his  son,  the  Inheriting  Grand  Duke,  and 
his  niece,  the  Duchess  Erica,  and  the  Grand 
Chamberlain.  And — I  am,  just  at  pres 
ent,  at  outs  with  them.  Her  Serene  High 
ness  is  most  intractable — one  of  the  new 
school  of  wild  young  princesses  who  are 
cutting  loose  from  everything  in  these 
degenerate  days." 

"She  certainly  doesn't  look  tame." 

42 


An       American       Invades 

"I  had  the  honor  of  escorting  her  to 
Paris  when  I  went  for  His  Royal  High- 
ness's  picture/'  Zeppstein  continued.  "It 
was  a  painful  experience.  And  instead  of 
sustaining  me,  His  Royal  Highness — but 
it  was  most  humiliating/' 

"Excellent/'  said  Graf  ton.  "I  can  be 
of  service  to  you.  I  own  a  Rembrandt 
which  I  wish  to  let  the  Grand  Duke  have 
at  a  bargain.  I'm  certain  he'll  be  most 
anxious  to  get  it  once  he  hears  of  it.  Now, 
if  you  should  be  of  assistance  to  him  in 
getting  it,  he  would  be  grateful,  wouldn't 
he?" 

Zeppstein  became  thoughtful.  "Not 
grateful,"  he  said.  r'It  isn't  in  His  Royal 
Highness  to  be  grateful.  But  it  might 
make  him  think  me  useful.  What  do  you 
propose?" 

"I  don't  know;  I  can't  tell  yet.  Keep 

43 


Her       Serene       Highness 

quiet   until   I've   looked   over   the   ground 
and  made  my  plans/' 

"I  am  at  your  service/'  said  Zeppstein. 
"  You  would  weep  to  hear  how  the  Grand 
Chamberlain  and  his  faction  have  hu 
miliated  me.  They  make  me  the  butt  of 
their  jokes  at  dinner  to  amuse  His  Royal 
Highness.  They — " 

'You  shall  be  revenged/'  said  Graf  ton, 
shaking  hands  with  him  and  hurrying  away. 

From  the  moment  he  recognized  old 
Zeppstein  until  he  left  him  he  had  been 
fighting  to  restrain  himself  from  leading 
the  talk  to  Erica.  He  now  caught  himself 
regretting  it.  He  stopped  short.  "Ridic 
ulous!"  he  exclaimed.  "What  an  idiot  I 
am  to  let  such  ideas  into  my  head.  It  must 
be  in  the  air  here.  I'm  getting  as  romantic 
as  —  as  —  as  she  looks."  And  he  walked 
on,  her  face  and  her  voice  haunting  him. 

44 


Ill 

A    Skirmish 

&RAFTON  learned  that  the  next 
was  one  of  the  three  weekly 
public  days  at  the  Grand 
Duke's  galleries.  About  eleven 
the  next  morning  he  went  to  look  at  his 
Spaniard  and  develop  his  plans  for  its 
capture.  As  he  neared  The  Castle  he  saw 
a  gardener  at  work  upon  his  knees,  trim 
ming  a  bush  of  big  pink  and  white  flowers. 
'  Where  is  the  entrance  to  the  galleries?" 
he  asked,  when  he  was  within  a  yard  of 
the  gardener. 

"Sh!"  whispered  the  gardener,  looking 
nervously  up  at  the  windows. 

45 


Her       Serene       Highness 

"What  is  it?"  said  Graf  ton,  following 
his  glance  and  seeing  nothing. 

"His  Royal  Highness  permits  no  noise/' 
replied  the  gardener  in  an  undertone. 
"He  hears  every  sound— especially  every 
little  sound.  Only  Sunday  it  was  that  he 
sent  out  to  have  the  noise  stopped.  And 
there  was  no  noise  that  anybody  could 
hear.  And  when  the  First  Gentleman  of 
the  Bedchamber  reported  it  to  His  Royal 
Highness,  what  do  you  think  His  Royal 
Highness  said?  It  was  marvellous!" 

"And  what  did  he  say?"  inquired  Graf- 
ton. 

"His  Royal  Highness  said,  'It  is  the 
sound  of  the  grass  and  bushes  growing. 
Tear  them  up!'  Isn't  it  wonderful?" 

"Wonderful!"  said  Grafton.  "Why 
aren't  they  torn  up?" 

"  All  the  gentlemen  of  the  court  entreated 

46 


A     Skirmish 

and  at  last  dissuaded  His  Royal  Highness. 
It  was  a  terrible  crisis.  Some  of  the  gen 
tlemen  were  weak  from  agitation  and 
sweating.  Yes,  His  Royal  Highness  is 
a  true  prince.  Only  a  true  prince  could 
hear  grass  and  bushes  grow." 

"It's  fortunate  he's  a  prince,  isn't  it?" 
said  Graf  ton.  "Now,  if  he  were  an  ordi 
nary  mortal  they'd  lock  him  up  in  a  luna 
tic  asylum." 

The  gardener  gave  a  frightened  look  at 
the  windows,  then  almost  whispered :  "  Yes, 
that  is  so.  But  princes  are  different  from 
us;  they're  so  sensitive,  so  high-bred.  I 
often  think  of  the  things  they  do  here, 
and  I  say,  '  If  I  were  to  do  that,  they'd 
think  I  was  light  in  the  head/  But,  of 
course,  princes  can't  be  judged  like  ordi 
nary  people." 

"No,  indeed,"  assented  Graf  ton,   "that 

47 


1      •!•    Ill      id  fc—.l.  .          »d  •• f  fc    .  I  J  •.•  .11.         J  ••  fc    I.I.     I  -| 

Her       Serene       Highness 

would  never  do.     Where  is  the  entrance  to 
the  galleries?" 

"Take  the  path  to  the  left  until  you 
come  to  the  modern  wing.  The  entrance 
is  under  the  balcony;  you  will  see  it." 

Grafton  followed  the  gardener's  direc 
tions  and,  climbing  the  steps,  was  about 
to  open  the  door.  At  each  side,  in  the 
same  frame,  were  long,  narrow  glass  win 
dows.  At  one  of  these  peeping-windows 
he  saw  the  Grand  Duke,  his  mouth  dis 
tended  in  a  tremendous  yawn.  Grafton 
hesitated.  The  Grand  Duke,  in  an  old, 
black  frock-suit,  opened  the  door. 

"Good -morning/'  said  Grafton.  "Are 
you  the  keeper  of  the  galleries.  These  are 
the  Grand  Duke's  galleries,  are  they  not?" 

"Yes."  The  Grand  Duke  beamed. 
"Won't  you  come  in?" 

"I'm  an  American/'  continued  Grafton, 

48 


A     Skirmish 

"and  I'm  much  interested  in  pictures. 
I  particularly  wished  to  see  the  Grand 
Duke's  Rembrandts." 

"Ah;  it  will  be  a  pleasure  to  show  you 
through.  We  like  Americans  here."  He 
spoke  in  excellent  English.  'We  once 
had  an  American  at  our  little  court.  But 
when  her  husband  died  she  fled.  It  was 
too  dull  for  her.  But  we  have  to  stay 
here." 

'You  surprise  me/'  said  Graf  ton.  "I 
had  always  heard  that  the  Grand  Duke 
was  a  most  interesting,  a  most  unusual 


man." 


Casimir  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "He 
is  the  most  bored  of  all.  He  does  nothing 
but  regret  his  youth.  He  is  old,  worn- 
out,  a  poor  creature  —  no  strength,  no 
stomach,  no  nothing  but  memories,  and 
a  bad  temper.  And  he  doesn't  get  much 
4  49 


Her       Serene       Highness 

pleasure  out  of  his  temper.  Of  what  use 
is  a  temper  when  no  one  dares  answer 
back?" 

They  had  come  to  Grafton's  Spaniard, 
indifferently  hung  among  the  fierce-look 
ing  Teutonic  war-lords  in  armor.  "Evi 
dently  he  doesn't  care  especially  for  it," 
said  Grafton  to  himself.  Aloud  he  said: 
'What  a  collection  of  fighters!" 

"No  wonder  they  fought/'  replied  the 
Grand  Duke.  'They  were  so  bored  that 
they  had  to  fight  to  save  themselves  from 
suicide  or  lunacy.  Any  one  would  make 
war  in  their  position — if  he  dared." 

"But  it  isn't  allowed  so  much  nowa 
days." 

"No;  worse  luck,"  growled  the  Grand 
Duke. 

"Why!"  exclaimed  Grafton.  "There's 
the  spurious  Velasquez  from  Acton's  col- 

50 


VO  DO  a  I  \a  GO  of  \  n  op  ol  \  p  op  a  I  \o  oo  o  I  \o  on  a  I  ^oBaoJ 

A     Skirmish 

lection.  Surely  the  Grand  Duke  wasn't 
caught  on  that."  Graf  ton  went  to  the 
proper  distance  and  angle  and  examined 
his  beloved  Spaniard  with  a  tranquil 
face  and  a  covetous  heart.  "It  seems 
strange  to  meet  an  old  acquaintance  so 
far  from  home.  If  I  hadn't  been  ill  when 
Acton  sold,  I'd  have  bid  on  this.  It's 
pleasing,  very  pleasing,  though  clearly 
not  a  Velasquez." 

'We  got  it  because  it  is  a  portrait  of 
one  of  our  house — the  Duke  of  Hispania 
Media,  who  captured  Barcelona  early  in 
the  eighteenth  century." 

'Was  that  before  or  after  the  Archduke 
Charles  took  it?" 

"It  was  the  capture  sometimes  errone 
ously  credited  to  the  Archduke  Charles. 
He  was  present,  I  believe." 

Graf  ton  laughed  good-naturedly.  "And 


Her       Serene       Highness 

in  England  I  suppose  they'd  say  Peterbor 
ough  took  it — he  was  present,  I  believe." 

"The  English  are  great  liars/'  said 
Casimir,  sourly. 

'That's  what  every  nation  says  about 
every  other/'  said  Graf  ton. 

The  Grand  Duke  chuckled.  "And  all 
are  right.  Now  we  come  to  the  Rem- 
brandts." 

It  was  a  fine  collection,  and  Grafton 
and  the  Grand  Duke  went  slowly  from 
picture  to  picture,  from  drawing  to  draw 
ing,  comparing  opinions,  telling  stories 
of  experiences  in  collecting.  When  they 
reached  the  examples  of  Rembrandt's  early 
work,  Grafton  was  enthusiastic.  "But/' 
said  he,  "it  is  too  small;  there  should 
be  more  examples." 

"JVue/'  Casimir  sighed.  "It  is  not  so 
satisfactory  as  we  wish." 

52 


A     Skirmish 


"Possibly  I  attach  more  importance 
to  this  weak  spot/'  continued  Graf  ton, 
"than  another  would,  because  I  have  an 
example  of  his  early  work  and  so  am  in 
terested  in  it." 

"What  is  your  example,  may  I  ask?" 
Casimir  spoke  in  a  too  casual  tone. 

"A  peasant  woman  with  an  astonish 
ingly  handsome  -  ugly  face;  it's  usually 
described  as  'The  Woman  with  the  Ear 
rings/  because  they  are  very  queerly 
shaped/' 

As  Grafton  thus  described  the  smaller 
and  less  interesting  of  his  two  early  Rem- 
brandts,  he  watched  CasirmYs  face  mir 
rored  in  the  glass  over  a  picture.  He 
saw  a  swift  glance,  so  piercing  that 
he  would  not  have  believed  those  burned- 
out  eyes  capable  of  it.  But  when  Cas 
imir  spoke  it  was  to  say,  carelessly,  "I 

53 


Her       Serene       Highness 

think  I've  heard  of  it  —  a  small  affair, 
isn't  it?"  ": 

"I  couldn't  get  more  than  fifteen  or 
twenty  thousand  marks  for  it,  if  I  were 
selling  it,"  said  Graf  ton.  If  he  had  not 
seen  the  swoop  of  that  covetous  collector 
glance  he  would  have  been  discouraged 
and  would  have  begun  to  talk  of  his  lar 
ger  Rembrandt.  But  he  decided  to  wait. 
Perhaps  the  smaller  Rembrandt  would 
alone  get  him  his  Spaniard,  and  possibly 
another  picture  to  boot. 

They  went  on  with  their  examination. 
Apparently  the  Grafton  Rembrandt  had 
passed  from  the  Grand  Duke's  mind. 
After  three-quarters  of  an  hour  he  said: 
"Now  this,  I  think,  antedates  your 
'Armorer.' 

The  only  outward  sign  of  confusion 
Grafton  gave  was  to  pause  abruptly  in 

54 


A     Skirmish 

his  walk.  'Your  'Armorer'!" — that  was 
his  other  and  finer  Rembrandt.  How 
did  the  Grand  Duke  know  he  had  it  when 
he  had  not  spoken  of  it?  "  Fool  that 
I  am!"  he  said  to  himself.  "The  Grand 
Duke  knows  his  subject,  knows  where 
the  Rembrandts  are.  Why,  he  now  knows 
my  name,  I'll  wager."  He  was  much 
depressed;  he  felt  that  he  would  not  get 
his  Spaniard  either  easily  or  cheaply. 
'The  only  advantage  I  have  left  is  that 
he  doesn't  know  just  what  I  want,  though, 
no  doubt,  he  has  made  up  his  mind  that 
I'm  not  here  for  mere  sight-seeing." 

As  he  was  thinking  he  was  examining 
the  picture  to  which  Casimir  had  called 
attention.  He  now  said:  "No,  I  think 
not;  I'm  sure  my  'Woman  with  the  Ear 
rings'  antedates  it."  Again  the  glass 
covering  of  a  picture  betrayed  Casimir; 

55 


Her       Serene       Highness 

Graf  ton  saw  a  look  of  relief  in  his  face. 
"He  knew  he'd  made  a  break/'  thought 
Grafton,  "and  now  he  hopes  I  didn't  no 
tice  it." 

After  a  few  minutes  Graf  ton  said  he 
must  be  going.  CasirmYs  face  was  as 
unreadable  as  his  own;  no  one  could 
have  suspected  from  looking  at  either 
that  both  were  determined  to  meet  again. 
Grafton  thanked  Casimir  heartily  and 
turned  away. 

"  Do  you  stay  long  here?"  asked  Casimir. 

"A  day  or  two,  perhaps/'  replied  Graf- 
ton.  "My  plans  are  unsettled." 

'  To  -morrow  is  a  closed  day.  But  if 
you  return,  I  shall  be  glad  to  show  you 
the  rest  of  the  collection." 

Grafton  knew  he  had  scored.  '  You  are 
very  kind/'  he  said. 

"It  is  possible  that  I  may  be  able  to 

56 


A     Skirmish 


show  you  through  His  Royal  Highness' s 
apartments.     There  are  several  remarkable 
pictures  —  a  Leonardo,  a  few  Van  Dycks, 
and  some  interesting  moderns/' 
"That  would  be  delightful." 
"Then  it  is  agreed?" 
"If  I  can  arrange  it.     At  what  hour?" 
"At  ten.     I  shall  expect  you." 
"I   think  I   can   come.     You  are  most 
courteous." 
"It  is  a  pleasure.     Until  to-morrow!" 


IV 


Two    in    the    Trees 


% 


c 


DDDD 


of  The  Castle,  Grafton 
looked  at  his  watch;  it  was 
half-past  three.  'That's  why 
'the  servant  poked  his  head  in 
at  the  door  so  often,"  he  thought.  "We 
were  at  it  more  than  three  hours."  He 
strode  along  in  a  jubilant  frame  of  mind. 
He  felt  that  the  Spaniard  was  practically 
his;  it  was  a  question  of  detail.  And 
Casimir  was  a  worthy  antagonist;  the 
struggle  would  be  full  of  interest  for 
both. 

He  was  still  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
the  park  gates  when  he  heard  a  scream. 

58 


Two     in     the     Trees 

He  listened;  nearly  half  a  minute  of 
silence,  and  then  a  lusty-lunged  feminine 
call  for  help.  He  dashed  into  the  wil 
derness,  breaking  a  path  with  difficulty 
through  the  heavy  undergrowth.  He  had 
gone  three  or  four  hundred  yards,  guided 
by  the  repeated  calls,  when  he  heard  in 
the  same  voice,  in  German:  "Come  no 
nearer  until  I  explain/'  He  pressed  on; 
there  was  a  ferocious,  growling  grunt 
and  a  big  wild  boar,  with  open  jaws  and 
long  yellow  tusks,  came  at  him.  He  made 
for  a  tree  and  scrambled  up  into  its 
branches.  He  heard  a  suppressed  laugh; 
his  panic-stricken  climb  could  not  have 
been  other  than  ludicrous  to  an  on-looker; 
he  glanced  all  round  but  could  see  no 
one  through  the  curtain  of  leaves. 

"Where  the  devil  is  she?"   he  said,  in 
English,  his  voice  louder  than  he  thought. 

59 


Her       Serene       Highness 

"Here,"  came  the  reply,  also  in  English; 
"the  third  tree  to  your  right — the  lowest 
limb/'  '  ^  '  - 

He  now  saw  a  pair  of  laced  boots  with 
high  tops  and  the  edge  of  a  brown  cloth 
walking-skirt.  'Those  feet  look  promis 
ing/'  he  thought,  as  he  watched  them 
swinging  cheerfully.  He  crawled  farther 
out  on  the  big  limb.  When  he  paused  again 
he  could  see  her  waist;  a  brown  silk  sash 
with  tasselled  ends  was  wrapped  several 
times  round  it.  He  could  also  see  one 
of  her  hands;  she  had  her  glove  off  and 
the  hand  was  as  promising  as  the  feet. 
He  crawled  a  little  farther.  Pausing  again, 
he  peered  out;  he  was  looking  into  the 
charming,  amused  face  of  Her  Serene 
Highness!  She  recognized  him  instantly. 
She  tried  to  sober  her  features,  but  the 
spectacle  of  this  dignified  young  man  on 

60 


y  p  o  o  D j  VO.Q_O.D/  YD  o  DO/  \p  o  o  o  /  \o  o  o  of  \o  POO/  I  o  o  o  of 

Two     in     the     Trees 

all  fours  craning  his  neck  at  her  through 
the  leaves  was  too  much  for  her  gravity. 
She  began  to  laugh,  and,  as  he  instinc 
tively  released  one  hand,  took  off  his  hat 
and  bowed,  she  became  almost  hysterical. 

He  swung  himself  round  and  found  a 
secure  sitting  from  which  he  could  view 
her.  She  said:  "I  beg  your  pardon; 
I'm  so—" 

"Don't  mind  me/'  he  said,  good-hu- 
moredly.  "It's  most  becoming  to  you  to 
laugh." 

She  straightened  her  face  and  elaborate 
ly  brought  forwrard  a  look  designed  to 
"put  him  in  his  place." 

'I  prefer  the  laughter,"  he  said.  "Pos 
ing  isn't  a  bit  becoming  to  you — not  a  bit. 
You  seem  to  have  the  habit  of  drawing 
me  into  disagreeable  situations  and  then 
putting  on  airs.  Who  invited  me  down 

61 


I         i  r        i          i         i          i          i          r  i       i          i          f          »          i 

Her       Serene       Highness 

that  passage-way  at  Paquin's?  Who  drop 
ped  her  handkerchief  twice  in  my  path 
and  suspected  me  of  flirtation?  Who  sum 
moned  me  to  come  and  amuse  her  by  be 
ing  chased  by  a  wild  boar?" 

"But  I  told  you  to  stop/'  she  protested, 
feebly. 

"Rather  late,  wasn't  it?  I'm  not  com 
plaining.  It's  delightful  to  have  the 
chances  fate  has  given  me.  But  I  strong 
ly  object  to  your  blaming  me  for  fate's 
fault." 

'You  are  rude,"  she  said,  hotly.  "You 
are  taking  an  unfair  advantage  of  my 
helpless  position." 

"Pray  calm  yourself,"  he  answered. 
"All  I  ask  of  you  is  ordinary  civility  or 
silence.  I  certainly  have  no  desire  to 
thrust  myself  upon  you." 

Both  were  silent  and  sat  watching  the 

62 


Two     in     the     Trees 

boar  as  it  ranged  frantically  from  one 
tree  to  the  other,  pausing  at  each  to  look 
up  with  an  insane  gleam  in  its  wicked, 
little,  blood -shot  eyes.  After  fifteen  min 
utes  Grafton  moved  slowly  back  tow 
ards  the  fork  of  the  tree.  As  he  reached 
it  and  seemed  about  to  descend,  she  said, 
in  a  humble  tone  that  made  him  smile  in 
wardly,  'Where  are  you  going,  please?" 

"I'm  going  to  make  a  dash  for  a  rifle 
I  see  on  the  ground/'  he  answered. 

'You  mustn't  —  you  mustn't.  I  forbid 
it!"  she  exclaimed. 

"Have  you  any  suggestion  to  offer 
as  to  how  we  are  to  escape?" 

"No,"  she  replied,  reluctantly,  "except 
to  call  out." 

"And  bring  somebody  else  to  make 
an  amusing  spectacle  of  himself  —  if  he 
doesn't  happen  to  get  killed.  I  can't  con- 

63 


VAAAA/ 

\Q  00  OJ  yo  00  Of 


Her       Serene       Highness 

gratulate  you  on  your  scheme."    And  he 
continued  his  descent. 

"Stop;  for  God's  sake,  stop!"  she  called 
out.  "I  am  ashamed  of  myself.  I  am 
sufficiently  punished." 

"My  dear  young  lady,  Tin  not  punish 
ing  you;  I'm  trying  to  get  myself,  and 
incidentally  you,  out  of  this  mess." 

"  Please — please — come  back  where  I  can 
see  you;  I  wish  to  say  something  to  you." 
It  was  certainly  Erica  and  not  Her  Serene 
Highness  who  was  speaking  now. 

He  obeyed  her.  When  he  could  see  her 
again  he  said,  "  Well?" 

"  I — I  want  you  to  say  that  you  forgive 
me,"  she  said,  earnestly.  "I  want  to  see 
that  you  forgive  me." 

He  looked  at  her  in  a  friendly  way. 
"  I  understand  how  it  is  with  you.  I 
don't  in  the  least  blame  you.  Only, 

64 


Two     in     the     Trees 

in  my  country,  we  never  permit  any  one 
to  take  that  tone  towards  us.  And  now, 
please,  Your  Majesty  of  the  Oak  Tree, 
may  I  go  for  the  rifle?" 

"May  I  say  that  you  mustn't?"  she 
asked,  a  smile  in  her  eyes. 

"I'd  like  to  have  a  reason." 

"Well,  in  the  first  place" — she  hesi 
tated— "it  isn't  loaded." 

He  looked  at  her  searchingly.  She 
blushed. 

"  Is  it  your  rifle?"  he  asked. 

"Yes;  I  always  carry  it  when  I  walk 
in  the  woods;  there's  a  chance  that  some 
thing  disagreeable  might  escape  from  the 
forest  into  the  park,  though  the  fences  are 
strong  and  high.  And  to-day  when  the 
boar  came  at  me  " — she  looked  as  though 
she  felt  very  foolish — "my  foot  caught 
and — I  dropped  the  rifle." 


Her       Serene       Highness 

"And  you  don't  load  it?" 

She  looked  still  more  confused.  "No, 
I'm  not  so  silly  as  that.  It  is  loaded/' 
she  said.  'You're  always  making  me 
apologize  to  you." 

"  Or  is  it  that  I  make  you  feel  like  apolo 
gizing  to  yourself?" 

"Perhaps  that  is  it,"  she  admitted. 
"But — please  don't  go  down  for  the  rifle." 
She  looked  at  the  boar — its  thin,  powerful 
body,  its  vicious  green  eyes,  its  greedy, 
raw  mouth  —  how  those  tusks  and  those 
pointed  hoofs  could  tear  and  rip  and 
mangle!  Then  she  looked  at  the  hand 
some,  calmly  courageous  young  Ameri 
can.  "Please,"  she  begged.  r'If  any 
thing  should  go  wrong  with  you,  think 
how  it  would  make  me  suffer,  for  I  got 
you  into  this  danger." 

"I've  a  better  plan,"  he  said.  "I  might 

66 


Two      in     the     Trees 

climb  through  on  the  branches  until  I  was 
directly  over  the  gun.  Then  you  could 
distract  the  brute's  attention  by  swinging 
your  sash  just  over  his  nose.  I  could 
jump  and  grab  the  gun;  I'd  have  plenty 
of  time  to  aim  and  kill  him." 

"That  sounds  very  —  unsafe/'  she  ob 
jected. 

"  At  any  rate,  it  will  do  no  harm  for  me 
to  get  as  near  the  gun  as  possible, "  he  said. 
And  he  began  to  crawl  along  a  branch 
in  the  general  direction  of  the  rifle.  The 
boar  noted  the  movement  and  followed 
him  underneath,  snapping  its  fangs  at 
him,  the  froth  flowing  from  its  ragged 
lips.  Erica  watched,  her  eyes  wide,  her 
face  gray  with  dread.  Crash!  a  branch 
gave  way  under  him.  He  fell,  and  so  low 
was  he  before  he  could  stop  himself  that 
one  of  his  feet,  clad  in  a  heavy  shoe,  kicked 


Her       Serene       Highness 

the  boar  in  the  nose.  She,  seeing  him 
begin  to  fall,  screamed  and  turned  about 
to  descend. 

"  Stop!  Stop!"  he  exclaimed,  as  he  drew 
himself  up  into  the  tree.  "I'm  all  right!" 

She  clambered  back  just  as  the  boar, 
dashing  for  her,  flung  itself  high  up  the 
trunk.  He  looked  at  her,  saw  that  her 
eyes  were  closed  and  that  she  was  trem 
bling.  "Are  you  going  to  faint?"  he  ex 
claimed.  "Quick,  unwind  your  sash  and 
fasten  yourself  in  the  tree  with  it." 

"No,"  she  said.  "I  sha'n't  faint.  Oh, 
what  a  weak,  cowardly  creature  I  am!" 

'  You?"  His  look  and  his  tone  brought 
the  color  to  her  cheeks  and  a  pleased  look 
to  her  eyes.  '  You,  who  were  coming  down 
when  you  thought  the  boar  had  me?  You 
are  the  bravest  girl  I  ever  saw.  You  can 
be  counted  on." 

68 


v g D o oj  \o_o_ o.o_/  VD  o  o oj  \p g <  o oT  yp p  P_Q_I  \o  go o/  \o DP o / 

Two     in      the     Trees 

He  remembered  the  boar  and  again  set 
out  along  the  branches.  "I'll  be  more 
careful/'  he  called,  over  his  shoulder. 
Soon  he  was  within  six  feet  of  the  rifle 
and  directly  above  it. 

"Now  what  will  you  do?"  she  said. 
"I  don't  see  that  we're  any  better  off." 

"Patience/'  he  replied.  He  broke  off  a 
branch  and  lowered  it  towards  the  ground ; 
it  reached.  He  slowly  pushed  the  rifle  tow 
ards  the  base  of  the  tree.  The  boar  backed 
away  and  eyed  the  moving  branch  sus 
piciously.  Grafton  had  got  the  rifle  against 
the  trunk  before  the  boar  rushed.  He 
flung  the  branch  far  out  from  the  tree, 
and  the  boar  leaped  into  it  and  trampled 
and  tore  it,  paying  no  attention  to  the 
rifle. 

"Will  you  please  unwind  your  sash," 
said  Grafton,  "and  tease  him  with  it? — 


Her       Serene       Highness 

keep  the  end  just  out  of  reach  of  his  nose. 
While  you  do  that  I'll  jump  down  the  other 
side  of  the  tree  and  shoot  him." 

She  unwound  the  long  brown  sash  and 
let  down  one  of  its  tasselled  ends.  The 
boar  rushed  it  several  times,  then  came  to 
a  halt  under  it,  prancing  round  and  round, 
jumping  into  the  air,  frothing  and  snap 
ping  its  tusks.  Grafton  watched  until 
he  could  see  that  it  was  dizzy  from  rage 
and  rapid  whirling. 

"Shout!"  he  called  to  her.  "Shout  at 
him  and  shake  the  scarf." 

She  obeyed.  He  dropped  to  the  ground, 
snatched  the  rifle,  took  quick  aim,  and 
fired.  The  boar  was  leaping  into  the  air. 
When  it  fell,  it  fell  to  its  side,  dead — there 
was  not  even  a  quiver. 

"Don't  come  till  I  make  sure,"  he  called, 
running  towards  the  carcass.  Down  upon 

70 


Two     in     the     Trees 

it  fluttered  the  brown  sash,  and  then  came 
a  heavier  body — Erica  herself. 

Grafton  put  his  arms  about  her  and  stood 
up,  holding  her  as  if  she  were  a  child. 
Her  long  lashes  lifted  and  she  looked  into 
his  eyes  with  a  faint,  apologetic  smile. 
"Put  me  down,  please/'  she  murmured. 

"  Not  just  yet,"  he  said.  "  Don't  make  an 
effort,  and  you'll  come  round  more  quickly." 

She  closed  her  eyes  and  relaxed  into  his 
arms.  "How  strong  he  is!"  she  thought. 
"  And  how  brave !  How  glad  I  am  to  see 
him  again,  to  find  that  he's  just  as  I've 
been  suspecting  he'd  be !"  At  this  a  little 
color  came  into  her  cheeks. 

He,  not  dreaming  what  was  going  on  in 
her  romantic  young  mind,  was  looking 
down  at  her,  trying  to  keep  a  very  tender 
smile  out  of  his  face — she  looked  so  like 
a  sleeping,  spoiled  child,  with  her  child's 


Her       Serene       Highness 

complexion,  her  short  upper  lip,  her  round, 
aggressive  little  chin.  Her  skin  was  so 
fine  that  he  could  see  the  blood  pulsing 
through  the  delicate  tracery  of  the  veins 
in  her  cheek. 

"Now  I'll  try,"  she  said,  after  a  few 
seconds.  He  let  her  feet  down,  but  still 
held  her  about  the  shoulders.  He  led  her 
to  a  fallen  tree,  and  they  sat,  she  leaning 
against  him,  he  holding  her  firmly  in  his 
arm.  Soon  she  could  sit  alone,  her  elbows 
on  her  knees,  her  chin  between  her  hands. 

'  You  are  an  American ;  so  you  said  at 
-at  Paquin's?" 

'Yes;  and  so  are  you — almost.  You 
look  and  speak  and  act  like  an  American 


woman. ' 


"  I  had  an  American  governess.   And  my 
father's  —  second  wife  was  an  American." 
'But/'  he  went  on,   "I  don't  feel  like 

72 


Two     in     the     Trees 

an  American  just  now.  I  feel  as  if  we 
both  belonged  here — in  this  wilderness 
— as  if  I  had  known  you  all  the  always 
I  could  remember/' 

She  sat  up  and  smiled,  dreamily,  sym 
pathetically,  without  looking  at  him.  'I 
was  just  thinking/'  she  said,  'I  don't 
even  know  your  name,  yet  I  feel  as  if 
I  knew  you  as  well  as  I  have  ever  known 
any  one/'  She  sighed.  'I  must  go/' 

She  caught  him  looking  longingly  at 
her,  and  they  both  blushed  and  were  em 
barrassed.  "My  name  is  Graf  ton — Fred 
erick  Graf  ton,"  he  said. 

"And  mine  is  Erica." 

"Yes,  I  know  that  much — Erica  what?" 

"That's  all,  except  several  other  Chris 
tian  names." 

r'But  how  are  you  distinguished  from 
other  Ericas?" 

73 


Her       Serene       Highness 

'Well,  they  might  call  me  Erica  of 
Zweitenbourg. " 

'Then  your  name  is  the  same  as  your 
uncle's?" 

"But  that  isn't  his  name,  nor  mine. 
He's  Grand  Duke  of  Zweitenbourg,  and 
we're  of  the  younger  line — the  ducal  branch. 
Our  family  is  Traubenheim.  We  came 
here  about  four  hundred  years  ago." 

'Then  your  name  is  Erica  Trau 
benheim." 

"No;   Erica  of  Traubenheim." 

"  Erica  Traubenheimer?" 

"Dear    me,    no!      That's    a    dreadful 


name.' 


r'I  don't  understand,"  said  Grafton. 
"  It's  as  though  I  should  call  myself  Fred 
erick  of  Grafton." 

'That  is  it;  only  in  your  country  you 
write  your  names  differently.  I  was  talk- 

74 


Two     in     the     Trees 

ing  to  the  American  minister  about  it; 
he  explained  that  you  have  your  noble 
families  as  we  do,  only  they  don't  reign, 
but  hold  aloof  from  politics,  except  to 
accept  the  high  appointments  of  state/' 

Graf  ton  laughed.  "  Did  he  tell  you 
that?" 

"Oh!  I  knew  at  once  that  you  were 
of  a  noble  family." 

"A  noble  family  of — dress-fitters?" 

Erica  blushed. 

"My  father  was  a  pork-packer,"  con 
tinued  Grafton.  "And  his  father  was  a 
pork -packer,  and  before  that  a  farmer, 
and — I  had  an  aunt  who  was  crazy  on 
genealogy;  she  found  out  that  we  were 
descended  from  a  blacksmith.  And  my 
mother's  grandfather  was  a  carpenter — 
when  he  could  get  carpentering  to  do. 
We're  all  like  that  in  America." 

75 


Her       Serene       Highness 

"It  must  be  very — very  queer/'  She 
seemed  disappointed,  depressed. 

"Every  country  seems  queer  to  every 
other.  This  country  seems  queer  to  me. 
Do  you  really  like  it  —  that  life  at  The 
Castle?" 

"Why  do  you  ask?" 

'Well,  it  seemed  to  me  that  if  I  were 
caught  in  such  a  routine — having  to  live 
my  life  on  a  plan  fixed  hundreds  of  years 
ago — never  allowed  to  be  my  natural  hu 
man  self — it  seems  to  me  I'd  die  of  weari 
ness,  unless  I  were  imbecile  or  became  so." 

'You  wouldn't  mind  it  if  you'd  been 
educated  for  it."  She  thought  for  a  few 
minutes,  then  said:  "Unfortunately,  I 
wasn't.  My  father's  —  second  wife  per 
suaded  him  to  educate  me  in  the  modern 
way.  That  makes  this  life  almost  impos 
sible  for  me;  it  seems  narrow  and  unreal, 


Two     in     the     Trees 

and  useless.  And  it's  so  dull,  so  deadly 
dull!" 

"Why  don't  you  get  out  of  it — break 
away?" 

"  A  woman  is  helpless.    Besides,  I'm  not 


sure — " 


She  rose  and  put  on  her  Tyrol  hat  and 
wrapped  her  brown  sash  about  her  waist. 

"I'll  walk  with  you  as  far  as  the  road," 
he  said.  "I  don't  think  I  could  find  it 
alone." 

As  they  went,  both  silent  and  she  con 
strained,  he  noted  that  she  watched  him 
curiously,  as  it  seemed  to  him,  critically, 
whenever  she  thought  he  was  not  seeing. 
They  came  to  the  cross-road  and  he  asked, 
'When  am  I  to  see  you  again?" 

She  flushed  painfully.  "I — I'm  afraid 
it's  impossible." 

He  put  out  his  hand.  She  hesitated, 

77 


Her       Serene       Highness 

then  gave   him   hers.     "Good-bye/'   she 
said. 

"No;  that  wasn't  what  I  meant/'  he 
explained,  clasping  her  hand.  She  made 
a  faint  effort  to  draw  it  away,  then  let  it 
lie  in  his.  "Impossible,  you  say?  Then 
you  don't  wish  to  let  me  see  you  again?" 

She  hung  her  head.  "No;  not  that.  I 
do  wish  it.  But  it's  impossible — I  think." 

He  dropped  her  hand.  'Very  well/'  he 
said. 

They  walked  slowly  on.  She  felt  him 
going — going  out  of  her  life.  She  could 
not  endure  it.  She  said:  "But"  —  she 
colored  and  kept  her  eyes  down  —  "I — 
I  walk  here  nearly  every  afternoon  at 
three  o'clock." 

"Isn't  that  fortunate!"  he  said.  "So 
do  I." 

Their   faces    showed   how    happy    they 

78 


Two     in     the     Trees 

were.  They  came  out  of  the  woods  into 
the  main  road  and  lingered  over  the  part 
ing.  They  parted  like  friends  at  the  be 
ginning  of  a  promising  friendship  —  a 
promising  man  -  and  -  woman  friendship. 
He  stood  looking  after  her,  and  as  he 
was  turning  away  found  her  handkerchief 
where  she  had  stood.  He  picked  it  up, 
kissed  it  with  a  gentle  smile  of  self-mock 
ery,  and  put  it  carefully  in  the  breast 
pocket  of  his  coat.  "And  I  thought  I 
came  here  for  the  Grand  Duke's  Spaniard !" 
he  said. 


V 


A    Prince    in    a    Passion 

luncheon  the  next  day  the 
Grand  Duke  was  in  one  of 
his  tantrums.  He  sneered  at 
Erica  and  the  ladies  of  the 
court,  he  insulted  the  gentlemen-in-wait- 
ing  and  the  heads  of  the  royal  house 
hold,  he  cursed  the  servants.  As  usual, 
he  ate  enormously ;  as  usual,  his  face  grew 
redder  and  redder;  as  usual,  his  temper 
rose  as  the  luncheon  progressed.  At  first 
the  others  made  some  attempts  to  start 
and  carry  a  conversation.  But  finding 
that  to  speak  was  to  make  one's  self  a  tar 
get  for  sneer  and  jeer,  all  became  silent. 

80 


A     Prince      in      a     Passion 

Erica  endured  with  unprecedented  meek 
ness.  Her  thoughts  were  far  away,  and 
she  had  a  feeling  about  her  immediate 
surroundings  which  she  did  not  attempt 
to  explain  to  herself — a  feeling  that  they 
were  slowly  fading  from  her  real  life. 

When  he  could  eat  no  more,  Casimir 
pushed  back  his  chair  from  the  table  and 
lighted  a  cigar.  'Was  ever  man  damned 
to  such  a  life  as  this!"  he  snarled.  "Sur 
rounded  by  chuckleheads  and  numskulls, 
we  go  through  life  cracking  our  jaws  with 
yawning.  And  here  you  sit  or  stand, 
mute,  smirking,  and  bowing  us  on  tow- 

•* 

ards  insanity !"  He  looked  savagely  round. 
'Well!"  he  exclaimed,  "has  nobody  any 
thing  to  say?" 

All  except  Erica  were  trembling.  They 
were  accustomed  to  these  outbursts;  they 
knew  that  their  lives  and  limbs  were  safe. 

6  8l 


Her       S  e  rene       Highness 

But  their  sovereign  was  thundering,  and 
it  was  their  duty  to  fear  and  tremble. 
Besides,  they  might  lose  their  places  at 
court,  might  be  banished  from  its  glory, 
might  be  deprived  of  the  honor  and  the 
happiness  of  receiving  these  humiliations 
and  insults  from  exalted  rank. 

Choking  with  rage,  Casimir  rose  and 
stamped  from  the  room.  In  his  cabinet 
he  flung  himself  on  a  sofa  and  cursed  and 
ground  his  cigar  between  his  teeth.  As 
he  had  never  in  his  life  been  curbed,  and 
as  there  was  no  public  opinion  to  control 
him,  no  standard  of  private  conduct  to 
constrain  him,  he  acted  precisely  as  he 
felt,  when  he  was  not  posing  before  the 
people.  He  despised  the  people,  of  course; 
but  they  paid  the  taxes,  and  they  paid 
because  they  believed  him  a  superior  being, 
a  shepherd  without  whom  they,  the  lowly 

82 


\  Q  DO  D  /  \O  ODD/  I O  O  O  P  /  \p  Q  O  J3/  \Q  OOP  I  \  O  O  j3  J3/  \  O  O  O"B  J 

A     Prince      in     a     Passion 

flock,  would  be  in  a  miserable  plight.  He 
was  most  careful  to  keep  up  appearances 
before  them,  to  do  nothing  that  would  dis 
courage  their  loyalty  to  the  throne,  their 
tolerance  of  its  tax-gatherers. 

The  cause  of  Casimir's  present  out 
burst  was  Grafton's  failure  to  keep  his 
appointment.  "Has  he  gone  away?" 
thought  Casimir.  "Or  is  he  playing  on 
my  notorious  craze  for  Rembrandts?"  He 
sent  his  personal  servant  to  the  H6tel  de 
T Europe  privately  to  inquire.  When  he 
learned  that  Grafton  was  still  there  he 
began  to  fear  that  he  was  mistaken  in 
thinking  he  had  come  to  Zweitenbourg 
with  a  definite  purpose.  How  to  reopen 
the  negotiation — that  was  the  question. 

He  sent  for  Erica.  "Read!"  he  said. 
' '  No ;  talk !  Are  you  glad  Aloyse  is  com 
ing  to-night?"  This  with  a  sneer. 

83 


Her       Serene       Highness 

"I  had  forgotten  it,"  replied  Erica, 
calmly. 

"Forgotten  it?  Forgotten  your  sweet 
heart?  Forgotten  !  Haven't  you  seen  this 
morning's  Gazette?  It's  a  love-match,  the 
Gazette  says, '  The  handsome  and  brilliant 
heir  to  the  throne  and  his  beautiful  cousin 
have  been  lovers  since  childhood.'  Casi- 
mir  laughed  harshly.  "Love!  And  you 
could  forget  my  high-spirited,  handsome, 
intellectual  heir?  Wonderful!" 

"I  had  an  adventure  in  the  park  yes 
terday  that  I've  been  thinking  about  ever 
since/'  said  Erica.  And  she  went  on  to 
tell  the  story  of  the  boar,  saying  as  little 
as  possible  of  Grafton,  and  being  careful 
to  put  that  little  prudently. 

The  Grand  Duke  was  so  interested  that 
he  sat  up,  forgot  his  indigestion  and  his 
boredom  and  his  departed  youth.  "And 


A     Prince      in     a     Passion 

who  was  this  man?"  he  asked.  "He 
must  be  rewarded/' 

"An  American/'  replied  Erica.  "A — 
a— I  think  he  said  his  name  was  Graf 
something — yes,  Graf  ton."  She  concealed 
her  delight  at  the  success  of  her  plan. 

"Grafton!"  The  Grand  Duke  leaped  to 
his  feet  and  paced  the  floor  excitedly.  He 
rang  a  bell  and  told  the  servant  to  send 
Baron  Zeppstein  to  him,  then  continued 
his  impatient  walk  and  his  muttering 
until  Zeppstein  stood  before  him,  bent 
double  in  a  bow.  r' Baron/'  he  said,  "go 
at  once  to  the  Hotel  de  Y  Europe  and  pre 
sent  our  compliments  to  a  Mr.  Grafton 
who  is  there,  and  tell  him  that  we  have 
commanded  his  presence  at  once.  We 
wish  to  thank  him  for  having  saved  the 
life  of  Her  Serene  Highness/' 

Erica  was  radiant.     She  took  her  uncle's 

85 


Her       Serene       Highness 

shrivelled  hand,  courtesied,  and  kissed  it. 
"You  are  so  good/'  she  said,  gratefully. 

"Good?  Nonsense!  He's  one  of  those 
Americans  who  pay  enormous  prices  for 
pictures  and  take  them  away  from  us  to 
that  barbarous  republic  and  they're  never 
seen  by  civilized  eyes  again.  He's  got 
two  pictures  that  I  want.  Your  advent 
ure  gives  me  the  chance  to  get  hold  of 
him." 

Erica  went  to  the  door.  "Stay  here, 
child,"  said  he.  "I  wish  to  talk  at  some 
body.  I  must  give  the  fellow  something 
— the  Order  of  the  Green  Hawk  will  do." 

"But  you  give  that  to  hotel  -  keepers 
when  you  stay  at  their  hotels  and  to  trades 
men  who  make  you  presents  of  goods 
you  like." 

1  It's  enough;  he  won't  know  the  dif 
ference,  and  he'll  be  beside  himself  with 

86 


VD  D  O_D_f  VQ  O  DJDj  \O_O_P_Oj  \P  D  DO/  \O  OOP/  \O  O  O  Of  \  O  D  P  Dj 

A      Prince      in     a     Passion 

delight;  it  takes  little  to  tickle  a  demo 
crat.  But  how  shall  I  bring  up  the  sub 
ject  of  the  pictures? — that's  what  I'm  con 
sidering/' 

"I  don't  think  it  would  be  tactful  to 
speak  of  them  at  the  first  meeting/'  said 
Erica.  '  You  might  invite  him  to  dinner, 
or — to  luncheon  to-morrow." 

"That  is  an  idea.  He's  a  well-appear 
ing  person  and  interesting/' 

"Have  you  seen  him?"  Erica  looked 
the  amazement  she  felt. 

"Talked  with  him  for  three  hours  yes 
terday,"  replied  her  uncle.  Then  he 
laughed.  "He'll  be  surprised  when  he 
sees  that  the  keeper  of  the  galleries  is 
the  Grand  Duke.  I  let  him  think  I  was 
the  keeper." 

Meanwhile  Zeppstein  had  found  Graf- 
ton  at  the  Hotel  de  1'Europe,  dejectedly 


Her       Serene       Highness 

preparing  to  leave.  When  he  explained 
his  mission,  Grafton  at  first  flatly  refused. 
"I've  changed  my  mind/'  he  said.  'I 
wish  to  get  away  from  here  on  the  next 
train/' 

"But,  my  dear  Mr.  Grafton,  think  of 
the  honor — His  Royal  Highness  proposes 
in  person  to  thank  you!  And  —  I  don't 
wish  to  raise  false  hopes,  but  I'm  con 
fident  he  will  decorate  you!" 

"I'm  overwhelmed!"  said  Grafton.  'I 
vshould  die  of  joy;  I  must  not  go." 

Zeppstein  looked  suspicious  of  mockery, 
then  decided  that  he  was  mistaken,  and 
went  on  with  his  pleadings.  "His  Royal 
Highness  can  be  most  gracious.  He  will 
not  make  you  feel  the  difference  in  station/' 

While  he  talked  Grafton  was  not  lis 
tening  but  reflecting.  On  impulse  he  de 
cided  to  go.  "Why  not  see  her  again?" 


A      Prince      in     a      Passion 

he  thought.  "I  can  feel  no  worse/'  His 
mind  made  up,  he  pretended  reluctantly 
to  yield.  "  I'll  waive  the  etiquette  of  the 
occasion,  I  think/'  he  said. 

"The  etiquette?  Pardon  me;  I  do  not 
follow  you." 

"Why,  the  Grand  Duke  should  have 
called  first." 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Grafton— " 
"  Isn't  he  only  a  grand  duke?" 
"  But,  may  I  ask,  what  are  you?" 
Grafton   looked   cautiously   about.     "A 
king,"    he   said.     "But   I   don't   want   it 
known." 

Zeppstein  grew  nervous.  'You  Amer 
icans  are  great  jesters,"  he  murmured. 

"  And  we're  all  kings,  but  we  don't  use 
the  title;  it's  too  common  at  home  and  too 
troublesome  abroad.  However,  I'll  overlook 
the  difference  in  our  rank.  Lead  on!" 

89 


Her       Serene       Highness 

On  the  way  Zeppstein  gave  him  de 
tailed  instructions  in  how  to  behave  him 
self.  "  I  shall  probably  be  permitted  to  con 
duct  you  only  to  the  door  of  the  cabinet/' 
he  said.  "You  must  knock  quietly  and 
enter  at  once  without  waiting  for  an  an 
swer.  As  soon  as  you  are  inside  the  door, 
draw  it  shut  behind  you,  but  don't  turn 
round  in  doing  so.  You  must  be  facing 
His  Royal  Highness  and  making  a  bow, 
head  on  a  level  with  the  loins,  until  he 
speaks.  You  might  have  your  right  hand 
ungloved.  His  Royal  Highness  may  in 

• 

the  circumstances  be  graciously  pleased 
to  give  you  his  hand  to  shake.  If  he 
should  decorate  you,  you  must  sink  to 
your  knees,  and  when  he  has  put  the  dec 
oration  over  your  bowed  head  you  must 
kiss  his  hand — place  the  back  of  your 
right  hand  under  his  palm  and  kiss  re- 

90 


A     Prince      in     a     Passion 

spectfully  but  not  lingeringly.  Be  sure 
your  lips  are  dry.  His  Royal  Highness 
has  a  horror  of  being  touched  by  damp 
lips.  Be  careful  what  you  say;  it  is 
wisest  to  answer  as  briefly  as  possible 
such  questions  as  His  Royal  Highness 
may  be  graciously  pleased  to  ask.  And 
don't  say  'you'  to  him,  always  'Your 
Royal  Highness/ 

"  And  when  I  leave — do  I  walk,  wriggle, 
or  crawl?''  asked  Graf  ton. 

"Walk  backwards,"  said  Zeppstein. 
"Only  members  of  the  cabinet  wriggle 
in  and  out  on  their  knees,  and  they  only 
when  they're  sworn/' 

"No;  I  think  that's  too  self-respecting," 
replied  Graf  ton.  "I  think  I'll  crawl." 

"  But,  my  dear  Mr.  Grafton,  it  is  against 
all  precedent.  We  haven't  crawled  for 
several  centuries." 


Her       Serene       Highness 

"  Til  revive  the  fashion.  This  is  a  bump 
tious  generation;  it  should  be  taught  hu 
mility." 

"My  dear  sir,  I  beg  that  you  will  not 
crawl ;  you  would  bring  disgrace  upon  me. 
I  should  be  suspected  of  having  so  in 
structed  you." 

"To  oblige  you,  I'll  try  to  forego  the 
pleasure  of  treating  a  sovereign  as  a  sov 
ereign  should  be  treated.  But  it  will  be  a 
sacrifice." 

When  their  names  were  sent  up,  the 
command  came  for  both  together.  "  Now/' 
whispered  Zeppstein,  as  they  stood  at  the 
door  of  the  cabinet,  "  don't  forget  my  in 
structions."  He  knocked  and  got  his  hips 
and  shoulders  ready  for  his  presence-bow. 
"You  must  enter  first,"  he  whispered. 

Grafton  walked  in.  The  Grand  Duke 
was  standing  facing  the  door  with  Erica 

92 


A     Prince     in     a     Passion 

a  few  feet  away  to  his  left.  Grafton  ad 
vanced  towards  Erica.  "  His  Royal  High 
ness  first/'  whispered  Zeppstein,  plucking 
at  his  sleeve. 

Grafton  went  on  to  Erica  and  put  out 
his  hand.  " How  d'ye  do?"  he  said.  "I'm 
glad  to  see  you  again."  But  his  face  was 
sad  and  his  voice  lifeless.  He  turned  to 
the  Grand  Duke.  They  shook  hands,  and 
the  Grand  Duke  laughed  familiarly.  Bar 
on  Zeppstein  stood  aghast. 

"Her  Serene  Highness  has  been  telling 
me — "  began  the  Grand  Duke. 

'Yes;  Baron  Zeppstein  here  explained 
to  me/'  interrupted  Grafton.  "But  it  was 
nothing;  your  niece  was  in  no  danger — " 

Zeppstein  had  sidled  behind  him  and 
now  whispered,  "Not  'you/  but  'Your 
Royal  Highness, '  not '  your  niece, '  but '  Her 
Serene  Highness/  and  don't  interrupt!" 

93 


\o  Dnci/  \o  OOP/  \o  o  oof  \p _o_g  o j  VP.  p  p  p_/  YP  o  P  P/  \  Q  DO  PJ 

Her       Serene       Highness 

'What's  Zeppstein  whispering?"  asked 
the  Grand  Duke,  sharply. 

"  He's  very  kindly  instructing  me  in  eti 
quette,  but  " — here  Graf  ton  hesitated,  with 
a  twinkle  in  his  eyes — "  I've  been  so  differ 
ently  bred  in  America  that  I  fear  I'm  not 
reflecting  credit  upon  him." 

The  Grand  Duke  waved  his  hand  at 
Zeppstein.  'Take  yourself  off/'  he  said. 

"I  hope  you  won't  send  him  away/' 
interposed  Grafton.  "He's  to  blame  for 
me  being  here.  It  was  his  talk  in  Paris 
about  your  Rembrandts  that  made  me 


come.' 


"I'm  beginning  to  suspect  that  you 
knew  me  yesterday/'  said  Casimir. 

"I  did;  but  I  thought  I'd  humor  your 
desire  to  be  unknown.  We  could  talk 
more  freely." 

The  Grand  Duke  took  from  the  table 

94 


VMM/ 

\o  on  D  / 


VMMf      VMMJ 

0000  \O  OO  O I 


A     Prince      in 


Passion 


the  ribbon  and  medal  of  the  Order  of  the 
Green  Hawk,  and  held  it  as  if  he  expected 
Grafton  to  kneel  to  receive  it.  Grafton 
stretched  out  his  hand  for  it.  The  Grand 
Duke  smiled  as  he  gave  it  to  him,  and 
chuckled  when  Grafton,  saying,  'Thank 
you;  it  is  very  nice;  a  great  honor;  more 
than  I  deserve,  I'm  sure/'  put  it  in  his 
pocket.  Erica  turned  away  to  the  win 
dow,  her  shoulders  shaking  violently. 

After  a  few  minutes'  talk,  Grafton  rose 
to  take  his  leave.  Zeppstein  frowned  at 
him  to  wait  until  the  Grand  Duke  rose  to 
indicate  that  the  audience  was  at  an  end. 
The  Grand  Duke  said,  "Won't  you  lunch 
with  us  very  informally  to-morrow,  at 
two?" 

'Thank  you/'  replied  Grafton;  "but  I 
have  arranged  to  go  on  the  night  train  to 
Ostend." 

95 


Her       Serene       Highness 

"  There  is  a  matter — some  pictures — 
Td  much  like  to  talk  with  you  about  it." 

Grafton  hesitated.  His  wandering 
glance  noted  Erica's  face  and  its  expres 
sion.  'Thank  you/'  he  said  to  Casimir, 
"I  can  easily  change  my  plans/'  And  to 
himself  he  said:  'Why  not?  I  may.  at 
least,  get  my  Spaniard." 

After  leaving  "the  presence/'  Grafton 
extricated  himself  from  Zeppstein  as  quick 
ly  as  possible,  which  was  not  so  quickly  as 
he  would  have  liked.  He  set  out  alone  for 
the  walk  to  town.  A  quarter  of  a  mile 
along  that  quiet,  beautiful  road  and  he 
saw  Erica  coming  towards  him  by  a  side- 
path. 

"I  am  late  in  my  walk  to-day,"  she 
began,  with  shy  friendliness.  'You  are 
going  —  perhaps  to-morrow?  I  may  not 
see  you."  In  spite  of  herself  her  voice 

96 


A      Prince      in     a     Passion 

trembled.  "I  wish  to  thank  you  again, 
to  wish  you — all  happiness/' 

They  went  down  the  side-path  together. 
"I  can  think  of  nothing  to  say/'  he  said 
at  last,  in  a  dreary  tone.  "I  have  had 
bad  news/' 

She  instinctively  came  nearer  and  looked 
up  at  him  with  quick  sympathy.  "Is  it 
a  death — some  one  you  loved?" 

"Some  one  I  loved — yes/'  he  replied. 
"But  not  death — worse,  I  think — worse 
for  me." 

"Forgive  me;  I  did  not  mean  to  intrude 
— to  hurt  you." 

"I  am  the  one  to  apologize;  I  ought 
not  to  have  intruded  my  sorrow.  Let  me 
speak  of  your  happiness.  I  read  in  the 
Gazette  this  morning  that  your  engage 
ment  is  about  to  be  announced — that  you 
are  marrying  some  one  you  have  loved 
7  97 


Her       Serene       Highness 

since  childhood.  I  wish  you  happiness. 
I'm  glad  that  you  are  getting  your  heart's 
desire." 

She  sighed;  it  sounded  very  like  a  sigh 
of  relief.  She  seated  herself  on  a  rustic 
bench  and  he  sat  beside  her.  'You  don't 
understand  how  it  is  with  us,"  she  said, 
after  a  long  pause.  "I  am  marrying  my 
cousin.  It  is  not  a  love-match;  we  care 
nothing  each  for  the  other.  That  is  the 
way  everything  is  with  us — never  for  our 
selves,  always  for  the  house,  for  the  state." 

"Trash!"  he  ejaculated,  bitterly.  "Of 
course  I  don't  understand;  there's  nothing 
to  understand.  It's  all  pretence  and  lies, 
vain  show,  theatrical  nonsense.  We  be 
long  to  the  present,  not  to  the  childish, 
ignorant  past.  Now,  I  suppose  I've  of 
fended  you;  I  regret  it,  but — " 

"No;  I'm  not  offended.     I  almost  agree 


VAAAA/     \MAAf      \MMf     \MAV 

\ o  o  D of  Vp_Q_Q_oJ  V o  o  o  of  \g  cTg_g/  VO.D  n^pf 

A     Prince     in      a     Passion 

with  you.     Then — my    surroundings,   my 
inheritance  are  too  strong  for  me/' 

"  Suppose  you  had  only  a  day  to  live/' 
he  burst  out.  "Suppose  you  knew  that 
you  would  die  at  sunset  to-morrow — wink 
out,  vanish,  be  gone  forever,  pass  away 
utterly.  Would  you  spend  your  one  day 
of  life  in  such  fooleries  as  these?" 
"  No, "  she  replied.  "  No,  indeed ! " 
'Well;  you  have  in  reality  only  one 
day — your  little  span  of  life  in  the  stretch 
of  eternity.  You  must  do  the  best  you 
can  with  it;  you  won't  get  another.  You 
must  enjoy  it ;  you  will  never  have  a  chance 
to  enjoy  another.  You  must  be  happy 
and  contented  and  useful  in  it;  to-morrow 
you  vanish.  And  you  tell  me  you're  go 
ing  to  spend  it  with  a  man  you  don't  love, 
spend  it  in  this  cold,  empty,  silly  life  of 
kissing  hands  and  bowing  and  strutting, 

99 


VMM 

nnoo 


Her       Serene       Highness 

of  vanity  and  gilt.     What  a  life — what  a 
miserable,  degrading  death-in-life!" 

'You  don't  understand/'  she  repeated, 
with  a  suggestion  of  haughtiness  or  at 
tempt  at  haughtiness. 

'  Well,  do  you?  There  you  sit — young, 
beautiful,  a  woman  with  love  and  pas 
sion  in  her  eyes,  a  woman  to  be  loved,  to 
be  happy,  and  to  make  others  happy.  And 
you  think  yourself  superior — you  who  pro 
pose  to  spend  your  life  in  a  way  that — 
Td  hate  to  characterize  it.  Why  did  God 
give  you  beauty  and  brains  and  a  com 
mon-sense  education?  Why  did  He  bring 
you  into  the  world  a  queen  —  not  a  toy 
queen,  not  a  figurehead  of  a  '  house, '  but 
a  real,  royal  queen  —  queen  by  the  true, 
divine  right?  In  order  that  you  should 
act  like  a  slave?  That  you  should  be  daz 
zled  by  spangles  like  a  vulgar  peasant 

100 


Vp no oj  \o o  DO/  YO  o  o PJ  ^i o D oj  YD o o  oj  YP_O  g_Q/  \ o OOP/ 

A     Prince      in     a     Passion 

— play  all  your  life  with  puppets  like  a 
child — be  a  puppet?" 

'  Why  do  you  say  these  things  to  me?" 
She  looked  at  him  sadly,  all  the  haughti 
ness  gone  from  her  face  and  voice. 

"Because  I  love  you;  that  is  why. 
Because  I  know — it  is  useless  for  you  to 
deny  it — that  you  would  like  to  love  me 
— if  you  dared." 

Her  bosom  rose  and  fell  rapidly.  "Is 
it  true?"  she  said,  looking  at  him  with  a 
thirsty  longing  in  her  eyes.  "Do  you?" 

'What  does  it  matter?"  He  shrugged 
his  shoulders.  "I  not  only  love  you  but 
I  would  win  you,  if  you  had — " 

"Had  what?    Say  it!" 

"Courage!" 

Both  were  silent  a  long  time.  He  laugh 
ed  bitterly,  and  said:  "When  I  was  a 
boy  there  used  to  be  in  one  of  our  school- 

101 


Her       Serene       Highness 

books  the  story  of  a  man  who  went  down 
in  a  shipwreck  because  he  would  not  give 
up  the  bag  of  gold  that  was  strapped  to 
him.  There  was  a  silly  moral;  I  forget 
it.  But  how  human  what  he  did  was! 
How  many  human  beings  there  are  who 
drown  their  real  selves  because  they  won't 
cut  away  some  dead  weight  of  false  pride 
or  false  glory  or  gold  or  conventionality — " 
He  rose  abruptly.  "Let  us  go." 

"  And  I  am  dragging  you  down  into  my 
unhappiness  because  I  won't  throw  away 
my  dead  weight/' 

'  That  is  not  for  you  to  consider.  Your 
own  case  is  quite  enough." 

"  Yes ;  I  lack  courage,  or  I  am  too  foolish. " 

"I  don't  blame  you;  don't  think  that 
I  do.  You'd  probably  be  unhappy  after 
you'd  given  up.  I've  thought  of  that.  If 
I  hadn't,  I'd—" 

102 


A     Prince      in     a     Passion 

"What?" 

"Carry  you  off." 

"Why  don't  you?"  She  stood  before 
him,  looking  eagerly  up  into  his  face.  "  I 
wish  to  have  my  mind  made  up  for  me." 

"Not  I!  You  must  decide  for  yourself." 
He  stood  very  close  to  her.  "But — how 
I  love  you!  Not  because  you  are  a  Trau- 
benheim  instead  of  only  a  Traubenheimer ; 
not  for  the  reasons  that  seem  to  count 
most  with  you;  but  just  for  the  sake  of 
your  wonderful  self  that  has  dazzled  me 
into  this  folly  of  loving  you,  dear — " 

'Yes;  go  on,"  she  murmured. 

There  was  the  clatter  of  many  hoofs 
on  the  main  road;  they  were  only  a  few 
yards  from  it.  A  brilliant  cavalcade  swept 
by;  a  young  man  in  a  gaudy  field- mar 
shal's  uniform,  followed  by  a  dozen  officers 
in  blue  and  white,  with  glittering  helmets 

103 


yo  D  D  D/  \oo_o_oJ  \o  o  ooj  \o  o  o  P  /  Vo  o  o  o i  /  YD  on  P  /  \  o  o  o  o/ 

Her       Serene       Highness 

and  cuirasses;  after  them  several  com 
panies  of  the  Household  Guards. 

"My  cousin/'  she  murmured. 

From  the  direction  of  The  Castle  came 
the  booming  of  cannon  and  then  the  strains 
of  a  military  band.  Frederick  and  Erica 
stood,  neither  looking  at  the  other.  He 
began  to  walk  towards  the  main  road  and 
she  reluctantly  followed  him. 

"Good-bye/'  he  said,  holding  out  his 
hand. 

"Good-bye/'  she  said.  "That  is— 
until  to-morrow.  You  will  come  here  at 
four—" 

There  was  the  sound  of  a  horse  at  a 
gallop  and  soon  round  the  bend  of  the 
road  swept  the  young  man  in  the  field- 
marshal's  uniform.  He  looked  a  giant, 
in  his  tall  helmet  surmounted  by  three 
huge  white  plumes.  He  reined  his  horse 

104 


A     Prince      in     a     Passion 

near  Grafton  and  Erica,  and  flung  him 
self  from  the  saddle.  Grafton  saw  that 
he  was  not  tall,  but  short;  not  broad,  but 
narrow — that  his  imposing  appearance  had 
been  due  wholly  to  his  uniform.  Also 
it  was  apparent  that  he  was  in  a  fury. 
Leaving  the  horse,  he  stalked  towards  them, 
his  sword  clanking  against  his  spurs. 
Erica  was  pale  and  nervous.  If  Grafton 
had  been  looking  at  her  he  would  have 
seen  that  she  watched  her  cousin  with  an 
expression  of  aversion. 

Aloyse  stepped  on  a  loose  stone  and  it 
slipped.  His  sword  swung  round  and 
caught  between  his  short  legs.  He  tripped, 
toppled,  plunged  fonvard  and,  as  his  hel 
met  flew  off,  his  face  ploughed  into  the 
dust.  He  was  lying  prostrate  at  Erica's 
feet. 

Grafton  sprang  to  him  and  lifted  him 

105 


Her       Serene       Highness 

up  and  set  him  on  his  legs.  "  I  hope  you're 
not  hurt?"  he  said,  with  perfect  self-con 
trol. 

Aloyse's  hair,  mustache,  eyes,  and 
mouth  were  full  of  dust,  his  uniform  was 
coated  with  it.  "Go  to  the  devil!"  he 
exclaimed,  turning  his  back  on  Grafton 
and  wiping  his  face  with  a  handkerchief 
he  drew  from  his  sleeve.  "Who  is  this 
person?"  he  demanded  of  Erica,  in  Ger 
man.  "And  what  are  you  doing  here? 
I  saw  you  hiding  in  the  woods  as  I  came 
by."  He  spoke  to  her  as  if  she  were  his 
property,  and  anger  flamed  in  her  cheeks 
and  sparkled  in  her  eyes. 

"Try  to  seem  a  gentleman,"  she  whis 
pered  to  him,  in  German.  Then  she  turned 
to  Grafton.  "Mr.  Grafton,"  she  said,  in 
English,  "  my  cousin,  the  Inheriting  Grand 
Duke."  \ 

106 


A     Prince      in     a     Passion 

Grafton  bowed  coldly.  Aloyse  looked 
at  him  insolently  from  head  to  foot.  '  Take 
yourself  off,"  he  said. 

Grafton's  eyes  blazed.  He  put  out  his 
hand  to  Erica.  "  I  shall  see  you  at  luncheon 
to-morrow."  As  Erica  was  about  to  shake 
hands  with  him,  Aloyse  struck  his  hand  up. 

"None  of  your  impertinence.  Be  off!" 
he  said,  his  weak,  blond  face  ridiculous 
with  rage  and  dust. 

Grafton  brought  his  hand  down  on 
Aloyse's  shoulder  and  closed  his  fingers. 
Aloyse  shivered,  winced,  bit  his  lips  till 
the  blood  came  to  crush  back  a  howl  of 
pain.  Grafton  set  him  to  one  side  and  re 
leased  him.  Then  he  shook  hands  with 
Erica,  lifted  his  hat,  and  walked  away. 
Aloyse  and  Erica  stood  looking  after  him. 

"I  hate  him,"  thought  Aloyse. 

"  I  love  him,"  thought  Erica. 
107 


VI 


Her  Serene  Highness  Surrenders 


yvwu 

\nnan 


'T  ten  the  next  morning  there 
was  excitement  in  the  hotel — 
the  Inheriting  Grand  Duke  had 
come,  had  sent  up  his  card  to 
the  American  gentleman,  and  the  Amer 
ican  gentleman,  instead  of  descending,  had 
told  the  servant  to  "show  him  up."  The 
Inheriting  Grand  Duke  was  in  top-hat  and 
long  coat.  He  was  looking  insignificant, 
sheepish,  and  surly. 

When  Graf  ton's  sitting-room  door  was 
closed  behind  him,  he  bowed  stiffly  and  said, 
"  At  the  command  of  His  Royal  Highness, 
I  have  come  to  apologize  to  you." 

108 


Her  Serene  Highness  Surrenders 

Graf  ton  waved  his  hand.  "Say  no 
more  about  it.  I  thought  your  father 
wouldn't  approve  of  such  a  performance. 
I  regret,  for  your  sake,  that  you  didn't 
come  on  your  own  account.  Is  that 
all?" 

"At  the  command  of  His  Royal  High 
ness  I  say  that  we  shall  be  pleased  to  see 
you  at  luncheon." 

"Tell  your  father  I'll  be  there."  Graf- 
ton  looked  significantly  at  the  door. 

"On  my  own  account,  I  say  that,  after 
you  have  finished  your  affair  with  His 
Royal  Highness,  I  have  a  matter  which 
one  of  my  officers,  Prince  von  Moltzahn, 
will  bring  to  your  attention." 

'That  sounds  interesting." 

"  And  I  may  assure  His  Royal  Highness 
that  you  will  be  at  luncheon?" 

'Yes.     Good-morning." 
109 


Her       Serene       Highness 

Aloyse  bowed  stiffly,  and  pompously  left 
the  room. 

When  Grafton  reached  The  Castle  it  was 
apparent  to  him  that  there  had  been  a 
storm,  doubtless  a  quarrel  between  the 
Grand  Duke  and  his  son. 

Luncheon  was  served  in  a  huge,  clam 
mily  cool  chamber  of  state.  Conversation 
was  all  but  impossible,  so  elaborate  were 
the  ceremonies  of  feeding  the  Grand  Duke. 
Each  dish  for  him  was  passed  from  servant 
to  servant  in  ascending  order,  and  then 
from  gentleman-in-waiting  to  gentleman- 
in-waiting  in  ascending  rank  until  at  last 
it  was  set  before  His  Royal  Highness. 
After  he  had  been  served,  the  others  were 
served  with  almost  equal  elaboration  of 
ceremony — Aloyse  before  Erica,  and  Graf- 
ton,  by  special  courtesy,  immediately  after 
her,  to  the  irritation  of  the  ladies  and  gen- 

no 


VAAMf      VMAAf 

\o  PO  a  I 


poo  o 


Her  Serene  Highness  Surrenders 

tlemen  of  the  court  whose  rank  in  the  royal 
household  gave  them  seats  at  the  royal 
luncheon-table.  Grafton  watched  the  tedi 
ous  ceremonies,  marvelling  that  any  one 
would  tolerate  them  day  after  day  and  year 
after  year.  Erica  and  Aloyse  sat  gazing 
into  their  plates  and  did  not  speak.  The 
Grand  Duke  fussed  and  blustered  over  his 
food,  and  ate  greedily,  with  much  smack 
ing  of  lips,  between  mouthf  uls  asking  ques 
tions  about  America. 

It  was  half -past  three  when  he  rose 
and  said  to  Grafton,  "We  will  smoke  in 
my  apartment/'  Grafton  followed  him 
through  five  or  six  enormous  rooms,  all 
gaudily  decorated,  all  clammy  cool,  all 
impossible  as  human  habitations.  They 
ascended  a  stairway  down  which  fifteen 
men  might  have  marched  abreast.  They 
came  to  a  mezzanine  floor,  and,  dodging 

in 


VQ_P_D_Q/  \p  o  gof  \O_D_O  oj  \p  o  o  of  \o_P_P  °/  VD  o  o_oj 

Her       Serene       Highness 

under  a  low  beam,  went  along  a  dark  pas 
sage-way.  It  ended  in  a  small,  low-ceil- 
inged  room  plainly  furnished,  every  article 
showing  signs  of  long  and  hard  usage. 
There  was  much  dust  and  an  odor  of  stuf 
fy  staleness,  and  the  heat  was  intense. 
"Here's  where  I  live/'  said  the  Grand 
Duke,  dropping  to  a  ragged  old  lounge 
with  a  sigh  of  pleasure  and  lighting  a 
pipe.  "  I  have  to  have  some  place  where  I 
can  be  comfortable."  The  pipe  was  old 
and  strong,  the  windows  were  tight  shut. 
"I  always  feel  cold  after  eating/'  said  the 
Grand  Duke.  "  You  don't  mind  the  win 
dows  being  closed?" 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  Graf  ton,  in  an  uncon 
vincing  tone.  It  seemed  to  him  that  if 
he  stayed  there  many  minutes  he  would 
faint.  "I  suppose  it  is  about  my  Rem- 
brandts  that  you  wished  to  talk  to 

112 


VMW 

Her  Serene  Highness  Surrenders 

me,"   he   began,    wishing    to   hasten    the 
end. 

'What  you  said  about  them  interested 
me  greatly/'  replied  the  Grand  Duke.  "I 
thought  possibly  we  might  come  to  some 
agreement  about  them — if — " 

'  Well,  I  was  attracted  by  only  one  pict 
ure  in  your  collection  that  you  could  part 
with  —  the  one  you  bought  from  Acton 
— the  spurious  Velasquez.  I've  always 
wanted  it — in  fact,  I  came  here  to  try  to 
get  it.  But  I've  almost  lost  interest  in  it." 

"  It  is  idle  to  discuss  that.  I  could  not 
think  of  giving  up  the  picture;  it  is  one  of 
my  ancestors — " 

"That  is  by  no  means  certain — as  you 
know." 

"I  so  regard  it,"  said  Casimir. 

"  I  will  exchange  the  '  Woman  with  the 
Ear-rings'  for  it,"  continued  Graf  ton. 
8  113 


Her       Serene       Highness 

"Come,  now,  Mr.  Graf  ton.  Is  that  rea 
sonable?" 

"I  can  get  for  it  double  what  you  paid 
for  the  Spaniard/' 

"And  I  will  pay  you  double,"  said  Casi- 
mir. 

"Money  would  not  tempt  me.  The 
Spaniard  or  nothing.  But — I'm  not  well 
to-day — you  must  excuse  me.  I  can  meet 
you  at  the  gallery  to-morrow  at  eleven, 
or  you  can  let  me  know  what  you  will  do." 

Grafton  was  overwhelmed  by  the  foul 
air  of  the  Grand  Duke's  "  cosey  corner  "  of 
the  palace.  His  plea  was  the  literal  truth 
and  the  Grand  Duke  could  see  it  in  his 
face.  He  assented  to  the  appointment  for 
the  following  morning,  and  Grafton  hur 
riedly  made  his  escape. 

He  felt  that  within  the  next  few  min 
utes  he  would  be  at  his  life-crisis. 

114 


Her  Serene  Highness  Surrenders 

Another  bend  of  the  road  and  the  park 
gates  would  be  in  view.  And  still  no 
Erica.  He  was  about  to  turn  back  when 
she  called  him  from  an  obscure  side-path. 
As  his  eyes  met  hers  his  heart  leaped — 
he  knew  that  he  had  won. 

'They  have  been  following  me/'  she 
said,  in  a  low  tone.  " Quick;  come  with 
me."  She  darted  into  the  wilderness,  he 
close  behind  her.  They  wound  in  and 
out  through  a  tangle  of  paths  which  only 
one  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  park 
would  have  known  as  paths.  At  last 
they  came  to  a  fallen  tree  in  a  thicket  so 
dense  that  it  was  barely  lighted,  although 
sunset  was  four  hours  away. 

'We  are  safe/'  she  said,  her  eyes  brill 
iant. 

He  caught  her  in  his  arms.  "It  seems 
to  me  that  I  loved  you  the  instant  I  saw 


Her       Serene       Highness 

you.  And  I  shall  not  give  you  up.  We 
will  go  away  to  my  country — to  our  coun- 
try." 

'Yes  —  yes/'  she  said.  "You  have 
opened  a  gate  I've  often  looked  at,  and  I 
see  beyond  it  the  paradise  I've  dreamed  of. 
And  I  must  follow  you.  I  care  only  for 
you.  I" — she  had  a  very  wonderful  ex 
pression  in  her  eyes — "I  love  you!" 

"I  shall  see  the  Grand  Duke  to-morrow 
morning.  I  shall  tell  him.  He  will — " 

'You  must  try  to  understand,  dear. 
He  will  never  consent.  Can't  you  see  how 
he  would  look  at  it?  And  under  the  law 
he  has  absolute  control  of  me  for  five  years 
yet — until  I  am  twenty-five." 

"  But  he  will  release  you  when  he  knows 
that  you  do  not  love  his  son,  that  you  are 
determined  to  marry  me." 

"No;  there  is  but  one  way.  We  must 

116 


Her  Serene  Highness  Surrenders 

go  across  the  Swiss  border;  there  I  shall 
be  free."  -  - 

"Then  the  sooner  the  better.  Let  us  go 
tonight." 

"Yes,  to-night.  What  is  that— listen! 
No — this  way — come!" 

"It  is  useless/'  called  a  man's  voice 
from  the  direction  in  which  they  started, 
and  immediately  a  young  officer  appeared. 

"Prince  von  Moltzahn!"  exclaimed 
Erica.  She  drew  herself  up  haughtily. 
"You  are  insolent,  sir!" 

"Your  Serene  Highness,  I  am  obeying 
orders." 

"So  I've  caught  you,"  came  in  Aloyse's 
voice  behind  them.  He  was  advancing 
upon  Grafton  with  his  sword  drawn.  His 
eyes  looked  murder. 

Erica  darted  between  them.  "Aloyse! 
Would  you  attack  an  unarmed  man?" 

117 


VOooo)  Ipoopj  10  o  oo;  \poooj  logo  ol  \a  a  n  n /  Ip  o  o  o 

f       i        \       i       ii       r       I       t       i       \       I       i       i 

Her       Serene       Highness 

"Stand  aside!"  foamed  Aloyse. 

She  advanced  upon  him  and  caught 
his  sword.  "Give  it  to  me/'  she  com 
manded. 

"Let  go!  Let  go!"  he  said,  wildly. 
r'I  wish  to  kill  him — the  scum — the  ver 
min!"  >  .'  .-•  Jv;. 

'You  wish  to  make  yourself  infamous/' 
she  replied,  still  holding  the  sword. 
"Prince  von  Moltzahn,"  she  called  over 
her  shoulder,  "either  hand  your  sword 
to  Mr.  Grafton  or  help  me  disarm  this 
fool." 

Moltzahn  stood  uncertainly,  murmur 
ing  something  about  "the  son  of  my 
sovereign." 

"Release  him,  Erica,"  said  Grafton. 
"He  dare  not  attack  me.  He's  had  time 
to  think." 

Erica  tugged  at  the  sword,  and  Aloyse 

118 


Her  Serene  Highness  Surrenders 

yielded  it  with  a  great  show  of  reluctance. 
"  Now  what  are  you  going  to  do?"  she  said, 
scornfully.  "  Why  are  you  here?  Why  are 
you  al ways  making  yourself  ridiculous?" 

"You'll  see  what  I'll  do.  My  father 
thought  I  was  mistaken  yesterday.  He'll 
know  better  now.  Both  of  you  must 
come  to  The  Castle." 

'  With  the  greatest  pleasure,"  said 
Grafton. 

'You  go  by  separate  ways/'  continued 
Aloyse.  "Erica,  von  Moltzahn  will  es 
cort  you.  I  have  a  few  soldiers  at  the 
end  of  this  path;  I've  kept  them  out  of 
sight,  as  we  want  no  scandal.  After  you 
are  on  the  way,  we'll  escort  this  person," 
with  a  contemptuous  gesture  towards 
Grafton. 

"No,"  said  Erica.  "We  go  together. 
Send  your  soldiers  away,  Aloyse." 

119 


Her       Serene       Highness 

The  Inheriting  Grand  Duke  distended 
his  chest  and  began  to  bluster,  but  she 
cut  him  short.  "Send  them  away  or 
111  send  them  away  myself/' 

They  walked  to  The  Castle  together, 
Erica  and  Graf  ton  in  apparent  high  spirits, 
Aloyse  and  Moltzahn  silent  and  sullen. 
They  appeared  before  the  Grand  Duke 
in  his  cabinet. 

'What's  all  this?''  he  demanded,  glow 
ering. 

"I'm  sure  I  don't  know,"  said  Erica, 
gayly.  "Mr.  Graf  ton  and  I  were  talking 
in  the  park,  and  Aloyse  and  the  Prince 
suddenly  appeared;  I  think  Aloyse  had 
some  soldiers  hidden  somewhere.  And 
they  insisted  on  taking  Mr.  Grafton  and 
me  prisoners  and  bringing  us  here." 

'You  jackass!"  shouted  the  Grand  Duke 
at  the  Inheriting  Grand  Duke. 

120 


VAAW      \AMty 

yo  ODD/  \  r]  g  PPJ  Wj  p"o  p/  V o  g  op/  Vp^p  o  of 

Her  Serene   Highness  Surrenders 

"Now  wait  till  you  hear  me,  father/' 
whined  the  Inheriting  Grand  Duke. 
"There's  something  up  between  Erica 
and  this  fellow;  I  know  it.  He  calls  her 
Erica,  and  they  were  hidden  in  a  thicket, 
and  I  saw  him  kiss  her." 

"You're  stark  mad/'  said  the  Grand 
Duke,  looking  at  him  disgustedly.  '  What 
is  the  matter,  Mr.  Graf  ton?" 

"The  Duchess  Erica  has  explained  all 
that  either  of  us  knows/'  replied  Graf  ton, 
discreetly. 

Aloyse  appealed  to  Moltzahn.  "Am 
I  not  right?  Didn't  he  call  her  Erica 
and  kiss  her?  Weren't  they  hid  in  a 
thicket?" 

Moltzahn  bowed.  'Your  Royal  High 
ness  has  given  the  facts  as  I  can  testify." 

Grafton,  watching  the  Grand  Duke's 
face  closely,  saw  a  change  in  it  which  was 

121 


Her       Serene      Highness 

instantly  corrected.  'The  old  fox/'  he 
thought.  "He  suspects.  What  will  he 
do?" 

Casimir  looked  at  Moltzahn  black  as  a 
thunder-cloud.  "Liar!"  he  roared.  "How 
dare  you  utter  such  a  scandal  of  Her  Serene 
Highness?"  Then  he  turned  to  Graf  ton. 
"A  thousand  pardons,  Mr.  Graf  ton.  We 
trust  you  will  forget  this  folly.  We  owe 
you  an  apology.  We  feel  profoundly  hu 
miliated." 

"Pray  think  no  more  about  it,"  said 
Grafton. 

'You  will  pardon  us  for  the  brevity 
of  our  apologies  to-day,  we  beg.  Baron 
Zeppstein  will  escort  you  to  your  hotel. 
And  we  look  forward  to  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  you  at  the  galleries  at  eleven  to 


morrow.  ' 


At  eleven,"   said  Grafton,   bowing  to 
122 


\o  D  DO/  Vo  a  o  g/          Vo  o  ao  I 

Her  Serene  Highness  Surrenders 

Erica  as  the  Grand  Duke,  taking  his  arm, 
escorted  him  to  the  anteroom.  They 
shook  hands,  the  Grand  Duke  placing 
his  left  hand  cordially,  even  affectionate 
ly,  on  Graf  ton's  shoulder. 

Zeppstein  had  an  abstracted  companion 
on  the  drive,  and  when  Grafton  was  alone 
he  flung  himself  on  the  divan  in  his  sitting- 
room  and  abandoned  himself  to  thoughts 
that  gave  his  face  an  expression  of  deep 
discouragement. 

When  the  Grand  Duke  returned  to  his 
cabinet,  he  withered  Moltzahn  with  a 
furious  look.  "  What!"  he  snarled.  "  Still 
here?  Be  off!  You  are  a  loathsome  creat 
ure.  Don't  show  yourself  at  court  for 
three  months.  And  if  we  ever  hear  that  a 
word  of  this  has  passed  your  lips,  well  strip 
your  epaulettes  from  you  before  the  entire 
army  and  banish  you.  Out  of  our  sight!" 

123 


Her       Serene       Highness 

Moltzahn  backed  from  the  room,  bowing 
and  cringing.  When  he  was  gone  the 
Grand  Duke  turned  on  his  son.  "And 
now  for  you,  sir !  Apologize  to  Her  Serene 
Highness!  Say  after  me — put  your  heels 
together  and  bend — now  say : '  Your  Serene 
Highness,  I  humbly  ask  pardon  for  my  in 
famous  conduct,  for  my  lies,  for  my  in 
sults/" 

The  Inheriting  Grand  Duke  repeated 
the  words  in  a  choked  voice. 

"And,"  continued  the  Grand  Duke,  "if 
you  should  meet  Mr.  Grafton  again,  we 
command  you  to  speak  to  him  as  one  gen 
tleman  to  another  with  whom  he  is  on 
friendly  terms.  Do  you  hear?" 

'Yes,  Your  Royal  Highness/'  mur 
mured  his  heir. 

'You  will  withdraw." 

Erica  and  the  Grand  Duke  were  now 

124 


Her  Serene   Highness  Surrenders 

alone.  "  I'm  sorry,  indeed,  my  dear  child, 
that  this  has  happened."  He  took  her 
hand  affectionately. 

'You  have  done  all  that  I  expected — 
more."  Erica  was  blushing  and  looked 
extremely  guilty.  She  felt  that  Aloyse 
and  Moltzahn  had  outrageously  insulted 
her,  but  she  did  not  like  this  reparation  on 
false  pretences.  "I  have  much  to  say  to 

you-" 

"  Not  to  -  day  —  not  to  -  day, "  interrupted 
the  Grand  Duke.  "I  am  exhausted,  my 
dear.  Go  to  your  apartments  and  com 
pose  yourself." 


VII 


The    Grand    Duke    Gives    Battle 


went  to  her  wing  of  The 
Castle  and  sat  by  a  window, 
trying  to  plan  the  next  move. 
But  her  brain  was  so  hot  and 
her  thoughts  so  rambling  that  she  could 
devise  nothing.  She  rang  for  her  maid. 
An  old  woman  appeared.  "I  rang  for 
Ernestine/'  said  Erica. 

'  Yes,  Your  Serene  Highness.  Ernestine 
has  been  taken  suddenly  ill  and  sent  me 
in  her  place.  I'm  Greta." 

Something  in  the  old  woman's  face  and 
manner  roused  an  uneasiness  in  her.  She 
went  to  the  outer  door  of  her  apartment. 

126 


The    Grand    Duke    Gives    Battle 

A   stupid-looking    soldier   was    on   guard 
there,  marching  stiffly  to  and  fro. 

"What  are  you  doing  here?"  she  de 
manded. 

"  I'm  on  guard/'  he  answered,  in  a  moun 
tain  dialect  of  German  which  she  could 
hardl}7  understand. 

She  started  down  the  corridor. 

"Come  now,  lady,  don't  make  trouble. 
I  can't  let  you  pass."  He  put  his  hand 
on  her  arm. 

"Don't  touch  me!"  She  looked  at  him 
haughtily.  "I  am  the  Duchess  Erica." 

1  Yes ;  I  know  you  think  so,  lady ;  that's 
your  trouble.  Now  go  back  quietly — do!" 

She  returned  to  her  apartment.  "  Leave 
me,"  she  said  to  the  old  woman. 

Greta  retired  to  the  anteroom.  "Out 
of  the  apartment!"  exclaimed  Erica.  "I 
do  not  wish  you  about." 

127 


VMAA/ 

\p no  n  / 


Her       Serene       Highness 

"Pardon,  Your  Serene  Highness,  but 
His  Royal  Highness  has  commanded  me 
not  to  leave/' 

Erica  closed  the  door  of  her  boudoir. 
She  paced  the  floor.  "How  helpless  I 
am!"  she  thought.  "I  cannot  move  in 
any  direction!" 

Early  the  next  morning  Grafton  went 
to  a  lawyer — Fogel,  who  is  conspicuous 
in  the  Zweitenbourg  Reichstag  as  a  fierce 
anti-monarchist.  Grafton  professed  a  stu 
dent's  interest  in  the  laws  affecting  the 
royal  prerogative.  Fogel  was  most  courte 
ous  and  obliging.  He  explained  in  detail, 
and,  when  he  had  ended,  Grafton  saw  that 
legally  his  affair  was  hopeless.  The  Grand 
Duke  was  absolute  over  the  members  of 
his  own  family  and  court,  except  that  he 
could  not  inflict  the  death  penalty,  nor 

128 


\AAAAf 

The    Grand    Duke    Gives    Battle 

could  he  detain  any  one  in  prison  for  a 
longer  period  than  six  months  without 
showing  cause  before  the  supreme  tribunal 
— on  application  of  a  relative  of  the  de 
tained  person. 

Grafton  thanked  Fogel  and  went  mourn 
fully  back  to  his  hotel.  He  was  expecting 
every  moment  a  message  from  the  Grand 
Duke  postponing  or  breaking  his  engage 
ment,  but  at  half-past  ten  no  message  had 
come.  He  drove  out  to  The  Castle.  As  he 
passed  the  northwest  wing  he  looked  up; 
there  stood  Erica.  He  saw  her  make  a 
gesture  as  if  she  were  flinging  something. 
It  struck  the  road  just  ahead  of  his  carriage. 
He  told  the  driver  to  stop,  descended,  picked 
up  a  little  silver  box  and  with  it  several 
small  stones.  He  sent  the  stones  sailing 
one  at  a  time  out  over  the  lake.  He  put 
the  box  in  his  pocket. 

9  129 


Her       Serene       Highness 

With  the  carriage  following  him,  he 
walked  round  The  Castle  to  the  galleries 
and  entered.  No  one  was  there ;  he  opened 
the  box,  drew  out  a  small  paper:  "I  am 
a  prisoner;  my  uncle  knows.  My  maid, 
Ernestine  Wundsch,  lives  in  Emperor  Fer 
dinand  Second  Street,  No.  643 — over  the 
bake-shop.  I  love  you;  be  careful  for  my 
sake.  When  I  escape  I  shall  go  to  Schaff- 
hausen." 

He  thrust  the  note  into  his  pocket  and 
came  out  of  the  alcove  into  which  he  had 
withdrawn  to  make  sur^  of  not  being  spied 
upon.  Ten  minutes  passed  before  the 
Grand  Duke  came  in.  "  Pardon  my  tardi 
ness/'  he  said,  politely.  Graf  ton  noted  a 
malicious  twinkle  in  his  eyes.  "I  was 
arranging  the  marriage  of  my  son  and  my 
niece.  The  days  of  romance  are  not  dead. 
After  their  little  misunderstanding  yester- 

130 


The    Grand    Duke    Gives    Battle 

day,  they  made  it  up  and — how  hot  young 
blood  is !  —  they  were  all  for  marrying  at 
once.  I  hadn't  the  heart  to  refuse  them. 
But — to  our  little  affair/' 

11  I've  decided  not  to  part  with  my  Rem- 
brandts,"  said  Graf  ton.  His  head  was  in 
a  whirl.  Beneath  a  fairly  composed  ex 
terior  mad  impulses  to  strangle,  to  kill, 
to  fight  his  way  to  her  and  bear  her  off 
were  raging. 

"  Ah !  I  regret  it.  And  when  do  you 
leave  us?  That  devil,  von  Moltzahn,  is  a 
dangerous  fellow.  I'm  having  my  police 
guard  you.  No;  don't  thank  me.  It's 
no  trouble,  I  assure  you.  You  had  a 
pleasant  little  talk  on  law  with  Fogel  this 
morning;  he  was  most  enthusiastic  over 
your  eagerness  to  learn;  he  was  talking 
with  one  of  my  secret  police  about  it.  I'm 
sorry  you  have  decided  to  leave  us  so  soon 


Her       Serene       Highness 

— tonight,  I  think  you  were  saying  yes 
terday  ?  And  if  you  change  your  mind 
about  the  Rembrandts,  you  know  I'm  al 
ways  willing  to  listen  to  any  reasonable 
terms/' 

The  Grand  Duke  bowed  him  out,  but  did 
not  offer  to  shake  hands.  Grafton  entered 
his  carriage  and  was  driven  rapidly  away, 
an  officer  in  a  plain  uniform  following 
him.  As  soon  as  Grafton  saw  it,  he  drew 
the  silver  box  from  his  pocket,  took  out 
the  note,  read  it  until  he  had  it  by  heart, 
then  put  it  in  his  mouth  and  swallowed 
it.  He  waited  until  the  road  wound  close 
to  the  edge  of  the  lake.  He  looked  back  ; 
the  officer  could  not  see  him.  He  tossed 
the  little  box  into  the  lake. 

At  the  park  gates  the  carriage  was 
halted.  The  officer  came  up,  several  others 
appeared  from  the  lodge,  including  one 

132 


The    Grand    Duke    Gives    Battle 

who  seemed  to  be  of  high  rank.  They 
were  most  polite,  most  apologetic,  but  they 
took  him  into  the  lodge  and  searched  him 
thoroughly.  And  when  he  went  on  to 
town  it  was  in  another  carriage. 

The  proprietor  was  waiting  for  him. 
"I  regret  exceedingly,  sir/'  he  said,  in  a 
frightened,  deprecating  voice,  r'but  your 
rooms  are  taken  from  ten  o'clock  to-mor 


row/ 


"That  will  be  satisfactory  to  me/'  re 
plied  Graf  ton.  "  I  shall  leave  to-night  or 
early  in  the  morning." 

"Thank  you,  Highness."  The  proprie 
tor  bowed  low  and  beamed  gratitude  and 
relief. 


VIII 


The    American    is    Reinforced 


'RAFTON  went  into  the  pub 


lic  square,  opposite  the   hotel, 
and  walked  up  and  down  un- 


>der  the  trees.     Schemes  plau 


sible  and  schemes  fantastical  crowded  his 
brain;  the  wildest  was  as  practicable  as 
the  most  sensible.  He  cursed  his  lack  of 
ingenuity.  He  felt  that  the  intensity  of 
his  love  for  Erica  was  paralyzing  thought. 
"In  matters  about  which  I  care  nothing/' 
he  said  to  himself,  "I  can  always  think 
of  something  to  do."  And  now  he  could 
think  of  no  plan  which  he  did  not  almost 
instantly  dismiss.  He  could  not  even 

134 


The    American    is    Reinforced 

devise  a  scheme  for  seeing  Ernestine.  To 
go  to  her  would  be  fatal,  as  the  secret  police 
would  go  with  him,  were  no  doubt  watch 
ing  her. 

He  seated  himself  on  a  bench  at  the 
other  end  of  which  was  an  American  tour 
ist.  There  was  a  certain  sense  of  com 
panionship,  of  strength,  in  the  nearness  of 
a  man  from  "  home  "  at  such  a  time.  He 
noted  that  his  fellow-countryman  was  a 
youth  of  the  unmistakable  American  type 
— tall,  thin,  with  a  narrow,  shrewd,  frank 
face.  The  longer  he  looked  at  him  the 
better  he  liked  him.  After  perhaps  twenty 
minutes  the  young  American  rose  to  go. 

"  Please  sit  again  without  looking  at  me 
or  seeming  to  notice  me/'  said  Graf  ton, 
not  moving  his  lips. 

The  young  American  involuntarily 
glanced  at  him,  but  looked  away  instant^. 

135 


Her       Serene       Highness 

He  seated  himself,  yawned,  took  out  his 
cigarette-case,  lighted  a  cigarette,  and  be 
gan  smoking  languidly.  A  newsboy  pass 
ed;  Graf  ton  stopped  him  and  bought  a 
paper.  He  rested  his  elbows  on  his  knees, 
and  so  held  the  paper  that  his  face  could 
not  be  seen,  yet  was  apparently  not  de 
signedly  hid. 

"My  name  is  Frederick  Graf  ton,  and 
I'm  from  Chicago/'  he  said.  "I've  fallen 
in  love  with  a  girl  here,  and — well,  there's 
the  devil  to  pay.  I'm  being  watched; 
her  family's  got  a  lot  of  influence.  It  is 
vital  that  I  see  her  maid.  She  lives  at 
No.  643  Emperor  Ferdinand  Second  Street, 
over  the  bake-shop.  Her  name  is  Ernes 
tine  Wundsch.  Describe  me  to  her  and 
tell  her  to  come  and  sit  on  the  end  of  this 
bench,  or,  better,  send  some  one  she  can 
trust  absolutely.  Probably  she's  watched, 

136 


Vg  ooo/  \g  ojc^g/  Vg  °  ° ° J  Yp  o  o  q7  yo  n  p  g /  \g  g  o  o/  \ o  P  q_gj 

The  American    is    Reinforced 

so  be  careful  not  to  go  directly  there  from 
here.  Will  you  help  me?  On  my  honor 
there  is  nothing  in  this  affair  which,  if 
you  knew  it,  would  make  you  hesitate/' 

Grafton  straightened  up  and  could  see 
from  the  corner  of  his  eye  that  his  coun 
tryman  was  studying  his  face.  "Til  risk 
it,"  said  the  youth,  rising  and  lounging 
away. 

Soon  Grafton  began  to  watch  the  faces 
of  passing  women.  After  nearly  an  hour 
a  working-man  came  and  sat  on  the  other 
end  of  the  bench.  Grafton  scowled  at 
him,  but  he  sat  placidly  smoking  his  pipe. 
At  last  he  said:  "Ernestine,  my  sister, 
did  not  dare  come.  She  sent  me  by 
the  back  way.  She  says  nothing  can 
be  done.  I  waited  to  be  sure  it  was  you." 

At  this  moment  Grafton  saw  Moltzahn 
coming  towards  him.  'Wait,"  he  said  to 

137 


Her       Serene       Highness 

Ernestine's  brother.  "Don't  move  until 
Fve  spoken  to  you  again/' 

Moltzahn  advanced  towards  him  and 
bowed  politely,  much  to  Grafton's  surprise. 
"I  know  that  you  are  watched/'  he  said 
to  Graf  ton.  "As  I  have  something  to 
communicate  to  you,  we  must  seem  to  meet 
as  friendly  acquaintances  and  to  be  talk 
ing  on  indifferent  subjects.  Will  you  walk 
with  me  a  few  minutes,  please?" 

There  was  a  thinly  veiled  contempt 
in  Moltzahn's  tone  which  made  Grafton 
feel  like  kicking  him.  But  in  the  cir 
cumstances  he  would  have  been  civil  to 
Aloyse  himself  in  the  hope  of  laying  hold 
of  something  that  would  bring  him  nearer 
Erica.  He  rose,  and  they  began  a  slow 
promenade. 

"His  Royal  Highness,  the  Inheriting 
Grand  Duke,  has  made  me  the  reluctant 

138 


Vp  oo  of  \  o  o  D  al  \p  o  o  g I  \  o  P  a  o/ 

The  American    is    Reinforced 

bearer  of  a  challenge  to  you.  I  have  tried 
to  dissuade  him,  but  he  is  determined  to 
punish  you  for  your  insults.  He  waives  the 
difference  in  rank,  the  fact  that  he  has  no 
right  to  send  a  challenge  to  such  as  you." 

"  It  will  be  a  great  pleasure/'  said  Graf- 
ton,  with  grim  joy.  "  I,  too,  will  waive  the 
difference  of  rank  —  the  fact  that  he  is 
not  a  gentleman." 

"It  is  impossible  for  me  to  answer  you 
as  you  deserve — " 

"You  couldn't  say  anything  that  would 
disturb  the  friendly  feeling  I  have  for 
you/'  said  Graf  ton.  "You  don't  know 
how  grateful  I  am  to  you  for  bringing 
me  this  —  this  opportunity.  I  could  al 
most — yes,  I  think  I  could — shake  hands 
with  you." 

"  What  weapons?"  said  Moltzahn.  "  But 
have  you  a  second?" 

139 


Her       Serene       Highness 

"  I  shall  have  one — and  I  choose  pistols/' 

"I  suggest  that  the  meeting  be  at  a 
little  town  on  the  Swiss  border — Zoltenau. 
Do  you  know  it?" 

"Yes;  I  shall  be  there." 

'The  circumstances  make  it  impossible 
to  follow  the  formalities  and  arrange 
through  your  second.  When  can  you 
be  there?" 

"Whenever  you  say." 

"Then  at  three  to-morrow  morning. 
We  shall  be  on  the  main  road  about  a 
hundred  yards  from  the  last  house — the 
inn — at  the  eastern  end  of  the  village. 
But  will  you  be  able  to  evade  the  police?" 

"Easily;  I  shall  be  there." 

They  bowed,  Moltzahn  went  his  way, 
Grafton  returned  to  the  bench.  With  his 
face  concealed,  he  said  to  the  working- 
man:  "In  case  I  should  wish  to  send 

140 


The  American    is    Reinforced 

a  message  to  Ernestine  for  her  mistress, 
is  there  an  address  that  would  be  safe?" 

"Johann  Windmuller,  41  Duke  Al- 
brecht  Street/'  he  answered. 

"Very  well.  And  if  there  should  be 
any  news  for  me,  send  a  letter  or  telegram 
to  Victor  Brandt,  care  the  American  Consul, 
Schaffhausen.  Can  you  remember  that?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  man,  and  he  repeated 
it  twice. 

Graf  ton  sent  him  away;  he  felt  that 
the  police  could  not  have  suspected.  He 
went  to  the  hotel  and  in  the  smoking- 
room,  near  the  entrance,  found  the  Amer 
ican  youth.  Grafton  dropped  into  a  seat 
beside  him.  "Thank  you,"  he  said. 
"May  I  ask  who  has  done  me  this  great 
service?" 

"My  name  is  Burroughs;  I  come  from 
San  Francisco." 

141 


>MW    ww 

Vo  n  DO/  \o  p  onj  \pn  n  oj  Vn  n  o  of 

'        *         i        I        i        i        }.        {        t"       f 


Her       Serene       Highness 

They  discovered  that  they  had  many 
acquaintances  and  a  few  friends  in  com 
mon,  and  both  belonged  to  the  same  club 
in  New  York.  Burroughs,  who  was  seven 
or  eight  years  younger  than  Grafton,  and 
just  out  of  college,  had  often  heard  of  him. 

"Is  there  anything  else  I  can  do  for 
you?"  he  asked. 

"Yes,"  replied  Graf  ton.  "Since  I  saw 
you  I've  engaged  to  fight  a  duel  at  three 
to-morrow  morning,  and  I  need  a  second/' 

' '  I'd  be  pleased  if  you'd  accept  me,  though 
I've  had  no  experience/' 

"  But  I  warn  you  that  it  may  be  an  ugly 
business  before  it's  ended,  though  I  think 
I  can  arrange  to  get  you  out  of  it.  I  mean 
to  kill  my  man  and  his  death  '11  make  a 
row  in  this  part  of  the  world." 

"I'll  see  you  through,"  said  Burroughs. 

Grafton  took  him  to  his  rooms,  and,  hav- 

142 


The    American    is    Reinforced 

ing  tested  him  thoroughly,  gave  him  his 
entire  confidence.  When  he  had  finished 
the  story,  Burroughs  said:  "I  feel  that 
you're  going  to  win  out"  His  eyes  were 
sparkling  with  excitement.  "But  don't 
kill  him;  remember,  he's  her  cousin.  She 
might  balk  at  marrying  you  if  you'd  killed 
her  cousin." 

Grafton  thought  for  a  few  minutes. 
"That  gives  me  an  idea — that  remark  of 
yours.  We'll  talk  it  over  to-night." 

As  Zoltenau  was  about  midway  between 
the  town  of  Zweitenbourg  and  Bale  —  a 
score  of  miles  from  each — they  decided  to 
evade  the  Grand  Duke's  spies  by  going  to 
Bale.  Burroughs  went  on  the  seven-o'clock 
train  to  arrange  for  a  doctor  and  a  car 
riage.  Grafton,  leaving  on  the  nine-o'clock 
express,  bought  places  in  the  bed-car  for 
Venice.  At  Bale  he  dropped  from  the 

143 


Her       Serene       Highness 

car  as  the  train  was  passing  out  at  the  end 
of  the  station.  His  servant  went  on  with 
the  baggage,  to  return  by  a  roundabout 
route  to  Schaffhausen  and  there  await  the 
arrival  of  Victor  Brandt. 


IX 


The  Crown  Prince   is  Decorated 

gjffS  the  road  from  Zweitenbourg 
to  Zoltenau  is  almost  level, 
except  the  last  four  miles, 
Aloyse,  Moltzahn,  and  Dr. 
Kirschner  did  not  set  out  until  nearly  one 
o'clock.  Aloyse  and  Moltzahn  had  de 
ceived  the  doctor;  he  thought  he  was 
going  to  a  friend  of  theirs  who  had  been 
desperately  wounded  in  a  duel.  Aloyse 
was  thus  unable  to  boast  of  what  he  was 
about  to  do  to  the  "American  pig-dog." 
As  he  could  think  of  nothing  else,  the  drive 
passed  in  silence,  broken  only  by  feeble 
attempts  on  the  part  of  the  doctor  to  im- 

145 


Her       Serene       Highness 

prove  his  good  fortune  of  being  in  such 
distinguished  company.  They  reached  the 
inn  at  a  quarter  before  the  hour.  As  they 
walked  up  the  road  the  doctor  was  unde 
ceived  by  Moltzahn. 

He  stopped  and  fell  to  weeping  and 
wringing  his  hands  with  fright.  "A  duel 
— my  Crown  Prince  a  principal — my  God, 
Highness,  I  shall  be  ruined !  I  refuse  to 
go." 

Moltzahn  caught  him  by  the  arm.  "  Come 
on,  imbecile!"  he  said,  roughly.  'There 
is  no  turning  back  now.  You  will  be  pro 
tected.  But  if  anything  should  happen, 
think  of  my  fate." 

Aloyse  was  a  few  yards  in  advance. 
He  was  strutting  along  with  his  chest 
out.  He  was  confident  that  the  "Ameri 
can  upstart "  would  give  him  little  trouble. 
"A  physical  bully,"  he  said  to  himself. 

146 


The  Crown   Prince  is  Decorated 

"  Only  a  gentleman  can  be  brave  in  a  duel/' 
He  turned.  "How  does  the  doctor  take 
it?"  he  asked. 

"My  Crown  Prince  I"  exclaimed  the  doc 
tor.  "I  beg  you — I  implore  you — "  He 
fell  on  his  knees  before  Aloyse. 

"Get  up!  Get  up!"  Aloyse  spoke  in 
a  kindly,  condescending  tone.  It  alwa}7s 
delighted  him  to  receive  ocular  proof  of 
his  superiority;  some  of  his  father's  re 
marks  were  most  disquieting.  "No  harm 
shall  come  to  you,  my  good  man." 

The  doctor,  still  weeping  and  in  such 
mental  turmoil  that  he  forgot  to  dust  the 
knees  of  his  trousers  and  the  tails  of  his 
long,  black  coat,  kept  pace  with  Moltzahn. 
Aloyse  was  whistling  and  brandishing 
a  small  cane.  His  round  face,  empty  of 
all  save  appetites,  was  gay — it  became  a 
prince  thus  to  go  to  the  duel.  And,  in 

147 


Her       Serene       Highness 

fact,  he  was  not  a  coward,  except  before 
his  father;  and  he  longed  to  punish  the 
low  creature  who  had  dared  to  lift  his  eyes 
to  a  princess  of  the  house  of  Traubenheim, 
had  dared  to  lay  hands  in  anger  upon  a 
royal  person. 

"I  can  hardly  wait  to  get  at  the  dog, 
Moltzahn,"  he  said.     "  I'm  afraid  he  won't 


come/ 


Moltzahn  replied,  "Yes,  Your  Royal 
Highness/'  absently.  The  nearer  he  got 
to  the  field  the  gloomier  he  became.  He 
had  taken  many  risks,  had  done  many 
degrading  things  in  furthering  the  ambi 
tion  of  his  life,  to  be  the  man  next  the 
throne  in  Zweitenbourg.  But  this  risk 
was  a  senseless  fly  straight  into  the  face 
of  fate. 

It  was  almost  broad  day  when  Grafton, 
Burroughs,  and  a  doctor  from  Bale  arrived. 

148 


The  Crown   Prince   is  Decorated 

They  lifted  their  hats  to  the  first-comers. 
Dr.  Kirschner  lifted  his  hat  in  return ;  Molt- 
zahn  gave  a  slight  salute  to  Burroughs. 
Aloyse  stared  insolently  at  Grafton  and 
made  no  salutation  whatever. 

Grafton  turned  to  Burroughs.  "You 
see,  Burroughs,  what  kind  of  cattle  they 
are.  I  apologize  again  for  bringing  you." 

Burroughs  was  white  and  nervous. 
"  Which  one  do  I  deal  with?"  he  asked,  in 
an  undertone. 

Grafton  pointed  at  Moltzahn.  "And 
keep  your  eyes  on  him.  He's  a  black 
guard  through  and  through,  capable  of 
anything." 

Aloyse  continued  to  stare  at  Grafton,  a 
cruel  smile  on  his  lips,  and  the  vindictive 
hate  of  the  brainless  in  his  eyes.  Grafton 
did  not  like  that  smile.  "I  am  taking 
long  chances,"  he  muttered, "  but — I  must!" 

149 


UAAAf 

.0000 


Her       Serene       Highness 

He   turned   his   face   towards    the    north, 
towards  Zweitenbourg,  and  forgot  Aloyse. 

Moltzahn  and  Burroughs  found  a  level 
well  back  from  the  road  and  private.  To 
this  the  party  went.  The  snow  on  the 
peaks  was  rosy  red,  and  the  birds  were 
awakening  to  full  song,  and  from  the 
earth  rose  the  fresh,  living  gladness  of  wel 
come  to  the  new  day.  The  lot  decided  that 
Aloyse  should  face  the  south  and  Grafton 
the  north — "  a  good  omen/' thought  Graf- 
ton,  and  the  look  in  his  face  showed  how 
far  murder  was  from  his  heart. 

As  they  were  about  to  take  their  places 
he  said  to  Aloyse,  "I  wish  a  few  words 
with  you  in  private/' 

"Absurd — impossible!"  interrupted  Molt 
zahn.  "Such  conduct  is  intolerable!" 

Grafton  looked  at  Aloyse  as  if  Moltzahn 
had  not  spoken. 

150 


The  Crown   Prince    is  Decorated 


Aloyse  hesitated.  "Don't!"  pleaded 
Moltzahn,  in  a  whisper.  "He  may  say 
something  that  will  unsettle  your  nerves/' 

Aloyse  drew  himself  up  haughtily. 
"Stand  aside/'  he  ordered,  "all  of  you. 
The  fellow  may  wish  to  apologize.  If 
so,  I  may  let  him  off  with  a  sound  caning." 

Graf  ton  went  close  to  him.  "It  may 
be/'  he  said,  in  an  even  voice,  "that  you 
will  kill  me,  so  I  take  the  precaution  of 
speaking  beforehand.  I  could  easily  kill 
you,  because  I  happen  to  be  a  dead  shot 
with  the  pistol.  But  I  shall  spare  your 
life.  I  shall  only  shatter  your  right  hand. 
I  do  it  that  you  may  wear,  as  long  as 
your  body  holds  together,  the  badge  of  my 
mercy  to  you — for  her  sake." 

"How  dare  you  speak  of  her!"  fumed 
Aloyse.  "Yes;  I  shall  kill  you  for  your 
insolence  to  our  house." 


Her       Serene       Highness 

"It  amuses  me  to  see  you  rage/'  said 
Graf  ton.  "It  makes  me  realize  what  I 
rescued  her  from/' 

Aloyse  was  in  a  paroxysm  of  anger. 
"My  cousin  and  I  will  marry  the  day 
after  to-morrow.  It  is  all  arranged — " 

"All  —  except  her  consent/'  answered 
Graf  ton,  with  a  mocking  smile.  "I  love 
her.  I  know  her.  I  trust  her.  However 
this  may  fall  out,  she  will  never  marry 

you." 

He  returned  to  his  place.  "  I  think  I've 
put  a  shake  into  his  hand/'  he  said  to 
Burroughs,  in  an  undertone.  "I  don't 
mind  admitting  I  tried  to,  as  this  is  a  farce 
so  far  as  I  am  concerned.  I'm  not  anxious 
to  die  if  I  can  help  it." 

Moltzahn,  holding  the  pistols,  was  stand 
ing  midway  between  Aloyse  and  Grafton, 
and  a  little  to  one  side.  He  looked  from 

152 


The  Crown  Prince   is  Decorated 

Graf  ton  to  Aloyse.  "  Walk  towards  me," 
he  said,  "and  when  you  are  face  to  face 
turn  your  backs  each  to  the  other.  I 
will  hand  each  of  you  a  pistol.  Walk 
towards  your  places  again,  and  when  you 
reach  them  stand  without  turning  until 
Mr.  Burroughs  begins  to  count.  At  three 
turn  and  fire  at  your  convenience.  Are 
you  ready,  gentlemen?" 

Aloyse  and  Grafton  bowed. 

"Advance!" 

They  walked  slowly  and  steadily,  each 
towards  the  other.  Grafton  seemed  dreamy 
and  abstracted,  Aloyse's  little  brown  eyes 
were  angry  and  his  brows  were  drawn  in 
an  exaggerated  frown.  When  they  were 
about  two  feet  apart,  Moltzahn,  standing 
as  near  to  one  as  to  the  other,  said: 
"Turn!" 

They  wheeled,  and  he  handed  each  a 

153 


Her       Serene       Highness 

cocked  pistol.  'To  your  places,  gentle 
men/'  he  said.  They  began  the  slow  re 
turn.  Burroughs,  his  hands  trembling,  was 
trying  to  moisten  his  lips  for  the  giving 
of  the  signal.  The  two  doctors,  all  in 
black  and  with  long  brown  beards,  stood 
apart,  the  Swiss  doctor  interested  but 
calm,  the  Zweitenbourgian  with  his  knees 
knocking  together  and  his  hands  sliding 
nervously  one  over  the  other.  The  sun, 
clearing  the  crest  of  a  ridge,  sent  an  enor 
mous  billow  of  light  to  burst  through  the 
mists  and  flood  the  dense,  dew  -  showered 
foliage  of  the  western  front  of  the  valley. 

"Now,  Mr.  Burroughs/'  said  Moltzahn, 
in  a  low  tone. 

"One!"  said  Burroughs,  and  his  voice 
was  thin  and  shrill;  the  sound  of  it  made 
him  shiver.  "Oh,  God!"  he  thought,  "I 
may  be  giving  the  signal  for  a  murder/' 

154 


The  Crown  Prince   is   Decorated 

'Two!"    His  voice  was  hoarse. 

"Three!"  wrenched  itself  from  his  tight 
ening  throat  in  a  gasp.  He  hid  his  face 
in  his  arms.  '  What  have  I  done?  What 
have  I  done?"  he  groaned.  It  seemed  an 
eternity;  why  did  they  not  shoot  and 
have  it  over  with?  He  dropped  his  arm 
and  looked;  they  had  had  barely  time 
to  come  round  face  to  face. 

Aloyse  fired  first  by  an  instant;  then 
Grafton.  Graf  ton  stood  motionless.  Aloyse 
gave  an  exclamation  of  pain;  his  pistol 
dropped  to  the  ground  and  the  blood  spurt 
ed  over  his  shattered  hand  until  it  was  red 
and  raining  red  from  every  finger. 

Grafton,  his  feet  together,  began  slowly 
to  fall  forward,  his  eyes  closing.  Bur 
roughs  cried  out  and  rushed  to  him  and 
caught  him. 

'  Where  is  it?"  he  whispered. 
155 


Her       Serene       Highness 

"A  mere  trifle — a  scratch  on.  the  arm/' 
whispered  Graf  ton.  "Sh!  Be  careful!" 
And  he  closed  his  eyes  and  lay  motion 
less. 

"Quick,  Dr.  Berners!"  exclaimed  Bur 
roughs,  starting  up  wildly  from  beside  his 
friend.  "I  think  he's  been  killed." 

Berners  was  already  there,  was  tearing 
open  Graf  ton's  coat,  waistcoat,  shirt,  and 
undershirt.  Dr.  Kirschner,  his  face  beam 
ing  and  his  hands  rubbing,  bustled  up. 
"His  Royal  Highness  has  been  gracious 
ly  pleased  to  send  me  to  render  what  aid 
I  can.  His  Royal  Highness's  own  wound 
is  slight — " 

"Back  to  your  master!"  exclaimed  Bur 
roughs,  apparently  beside  himself  with  rage 
and  grief,  and  standing  between  Kirschner 
and  Graf  ton.  "My  friend  is  dead  —  shot 
down  by  that  assassin!" 

156 


The  Crown  Prince   is  Decorated 

Dr.  Kirschner  put  on  the  death -bed 
look.  "  Let  us  hope  not  so  bad  as 
that."  : 

"Yes  —  dead/'  said  Berners,  looking 
round  at  his  colleague  and  shielding  Graf- 
ton  so  that  Kirschner  could  not  see  his 
chest.  "He  is  shot  through  the  heart." 

Kirschner  rushed  to  Aloyse  and  Molt- 
zahn.  Aloyse  was  ruefully  regarding  the 
bandage  Kirschner  had  hastily  wrapped 
round  his  hand  before  going  on  Aloyse' s 
magnanimous  mission.  "I  regret  to  in 
form  Your  Royal  Highness  that  Mr.  Graf- 
ton's  wound  is  most  serious." 

"  Is  that  all?"  Aloyse  scowled.  "  I  aimed 
for  his  heart." 

Dr.  Kirschner  lowered  his  eyes;  even 
his  humble  soul  revolted.  "Your  Royal 
Highness,"  he  said,  in  a  low  voice,  "Mr. 
Graf  ton  is  dead." 

157 


Her       Serene       Highness 

"Dead!"  Aloyse's  lips  shrivelled  and 
he  staggered  slightly. 

'  Your  Royal  Highness  shot  him  through 
the  heart/'  said  Moltzahn,  in  a  congratu 
latory  tone. 

"Dead!"  Aloyse's  voice  was  hoarse. 
"Let  us  go/'  he  said. 

"But  I  must  dress  Your  Royal  High- 
ness's  wound/'  urged  Kirschner. 

"In  the  carriage/'  Aloyse  answered, 
impatiently.  He  cast  a  hasty  glance  tow 
ards  the  group  on  the  grass — the  prostrate 
man,  the  two  kneeling  beside  him.  "Let 
us  go/'  he  said,  and  led  the  way. 


X 


The    Grand    Duke    Prepares    to 
Celebrate 

N  the  drive  back  to  Zweiten- 
bourg  Aloyse's  spirits  gradu 
ally  rose.  He  ceased  to  see 
that  group  with  such  pain 
ful  distinctness;  Moltzahn  and  presently 
Dr.  Kirschner  flattered  him  on  his  marks 
manship.  Pshaw !  it  had  been  a  mere  coin 
cidence  that  Grafton  had  shot  him  precisely 
as  he  said  he  would.  He  forced  himself  to 
remember  more  and  more  vividly  Grafton's 
impudence — and  impudence  to  a  Trauben- 
heim!  And  impudence  to  a  Traubenheim 
in  an  affair  of  the  heart! — and  that  affair 

159 


Her       Serene       Highness 

one  in  which  the  lady  was  also  a  Trauben- 
heim.  He  had  but  meted  out  just  punish 
ment  for  an  assault  upon  his  own  honor, 
the  honor  of  his  wife-to-be,  the  honor  of  his 
house. 

In  the  last  two  or  three  miles  he  was 
hilarious,  boasting  boisterously  —  he  had 
had  something  to  drink  and  nothing  to 
eat — of  his  prowess  and  of  how  all  Trau- 
benheims  always  thus  served  the  impu 
dent  enemies  of  their  house.  And  Molt- 
zahn,  concealing  his  contempt  and  disgust, 
and  Dr.  Kirschner,  full  of  the  loyalty  of  a 
devoted  subject,  urged  him  on.  He  set  the 
doctor  down  at  his  house  and  Moltzahn  at 
his  club — Moltzahn  did  not  dare  show  him 
self  at  The  Castle.  Then  he  drove  on  with 
a  growing  appetite.  He  reached  The  Cas 
tle  at  seven  o'clock,  just  in  time  for  his 
regular  beakfast  with  his  father. 

1 60 


Grand  Duke  Prepares  to  Celebrate 

The  Grand  Duke  was  invariably  in  a 
vile  humor  in  the  morning ;  he  ate  so  much 
and  exercised  so  little  that  he  slept  badly. 
He  insisted  on  his  son  always  breakfasting 
alone  with  him,  and,  under  the  pretence  of 
training  him  for  the  throne,  wreaked  his 
ill -humor  upon  him.  Aloyse  hurriedly 
changed  from  the  plain  clothes  in  which 
he  had  fought  to  an  undress  uniform,  and 
flew  to  the  breakfast  -  room.  He  was  in 
high  spirits;  at  last  he  had  done  some 
thing  which  his  father  would  applaud.  As 
he  entered,  Casimir  looked  at  him  sourly. 
He  brought  his  heels  together  and  saluted. 
Then  he  advanced,  as  usual,  bent  his 
knee,  but  put  his  left  hand,  instead  of  his 
right,  under  his  father's  right  hand  ex 
tended  for  him  to  kiss. 

'What  is   the  matter  with  your  right 
hand?"  screamed  the  Grand  Duke. 
»  161 


Her       Serene       Highness 

Aloyse  jumped  and  shivered  like  a  guilty 
child  and  his  wits  scattered.  He  held  out 
his  right  hand  in  its  sling,  stupidly  staring 
at  it. 

"Speak — and  no  lies!" 

"In  a  duel,"  he  stammered. 

The  Grand  Duke  pushed  back  his  chair 
from  the  table.  His  look  was  so  frightful 
that  terror  gave  speed  to  Aloyse's  tongue. 
"I  challenged  the  American,  father — and 
killed  him,"  he  said,  the  last  phrase  ex 
plosively.  "I  shot  him  through  the 
heart." 

Casimir  brought  his  chair  close  to  the 
table  again,  lifted  his  cup  of  coffee,  and 
drew  in  several  draughts,  each  with  a 
loud,  sucking  sound.  "Eat  your  break 
fast!"  he  said,  in  a  sharp  but  not  unkindly 
tone.  "You  must  be  hungry;  have  one 
of  my  peaches." 

162 


VOD  oo;  VQ  o  n  aj  \gn  p  oj 

t  1  I"         3  I  1 


WMf 

1  O  O 


Grand  Duke  Prepares  to  Celebrate 

Casimir's  peaches  were  his  especial  dish. 
They  were  grown  at  great  expense  under 
his  own  eye,  and  no  one  else  was  permitted 
to  have  them.  In  all  his  life  Aloyse  could 
remember  only  one  occasion  on  which  his 
father  had  offered  to  share  his  peaches; 
it  was  twenty  years  before,  when  Aloyse, 
seated  in  a  high-chair  at  that  table,  had 
seen  the  Prime  Minister  take  one  at  Casi 
mir's  request ;  the  reason,  as  Aloyse  learned 
long  afterwards,  was  that  the  Prime  Minis 
ter  had  saved  the  Traubenheims  their  title 
of  "  Royal  Highness/'  which  was  gravely 
threatened.  Though  he  detested  peaches, 
Aloyse  ate  the  peach  greedily,  swelling 
with  pride  and  importance. 

Prudence  bade  him  say  no  more  of  his 
achievement ;  but  vanity  and  a  loose  tongue 
impelled  him  to  seek  further  flatteries  from 
his  father.  He  looked  at  the  old  man's  sar- 

163 


Her       Serene       Highness 

donic,  yellow  face  several  times  before  he 
ventured  to  speak. 

"I  ask  to  be  permitted  to  tell  Erica 
myself/'  he  said. 

His  father  stopped  eating  and  raised 
his  head  from  his  plate.  He  seemed  to 
have  concentrated  all  the  acidity  of  his 
nature  in  his  face.  The  color  rose  in 
Aloyse's  cheeks  and  mounted  his  brow 
until  his  features  were  all  ablaze  and  a 
sweat  was  standing  on  his  forehead. 

'You  propose  to  tell  the  woman  you 
wish  to  marry,  and  whose  consent  you 
must  get — you  propose  to  tell  her  that  you 
have  murdered  her  lover/'  Casimir  said 
the  words  slowly,  without  accent,  quietly. 
Then  he  put  his  face  down  until  it  was 
again  hovering  within  a  few  inches  of  his 
plate. 

There  was  a  long  pause,  and  Casimir 

164 


Grand  Duke  Prepares  to  Celebrate 

spoke  again.  "Every  day  you  remind 
me  more  and  more  of  your  grand-uncle/' 
Aloyse  remembered  his  grand-uncle — the 
Grand  Duke  Wilhelm,  a  jibbering  idiot, 
who  sat  all  day  on  the  floor  in  a  corner 
gnawing  his  nails  and  his  great  whiskers. 

Another  long  pause,  and  Casimir  spoke 
again.  "  Go  to  your  apartments,  and  don't 
leave  them  until  I  summon  you.  And 
never  permit  a  syllable  about  your  duel 
to  escape  your  lips.  Deny  it ;  if  necessary, 
swear  you  know  nothing  about  it.  If 
possible,  she  must  never  know  how  he 
died  or  that  he's  dead.  Be  off!" 

Later  in  the  morning  Casimir  read  the 
report  of  the  chief  of  his  secret  police  on 
Grafton's  last  hours  in  Zweitenbourg. 
His  secret  agents  said  that  Grafton  had 
communicated  with  no  one  except  an 
American  tourist  —  an  obviously  casual 

165 


Her       Serene       Highness 

acquaintance  and  talk;  that  Ernestine 
had  not  moved  from  her  home  over  the 
bake-shop  in  Emperor  Ferdinand  Second 
Street.  And  when  the  chief  came  to  him 
and  in  great  confusion  confessed  that 
his  men  had  lost  Grafton  between  Zweiten- 
bourg  and  Venice,  the  Grand  Duke  was 
sarcastic  but  not  angry.  "Drop  the  mat 
ter/'  he  said. 

He  sent  Baron  Zeppstein  to  inquire  how 
Her  Serene  Highness  did,  and  whether 
she  would  permit  His  Royal  Highness  to 
do  himself  the  honor  of  waiting  upon  her, 
As  the  answer  was  favorable,  Casimir  put 
on  his  most  paternal  face  and  went  to 
Erica's  apartments.  She  was  all  fire  and 
indignation. 

"First,"  she  said,  "I  demand  that  Your 
Royal  Highness  send  away  that  woman 
and  that  soldier/' 

166 


\o_o_o_oj  Vo  o  D o J  Vp  p  ojjj  U?_P_P_Q/  VP  D  n  oj  Vo_P_P_oj  Vo  a  ool 

Grand  Duke  Prepares  to  Celebrate 

"Certainly,  my  child/'  And  he  went  to 
the  door  and  himself  ordered  them  away. 
As  the  woman  was  leaving  he  called  her 
back.  He  returned  to  Erica.  "Shall  I 
send  for  your  own  maid?"  he  said.  '  This 
woman  can  fetch  her.  Yes?"  And  he 
told  the  woman  to  bring  Ernestine  forth 
with. 

fThe  peril  is  past/'  he  said,  standing 
beside  Erica  and  laying  his  hand  on  her 
shoulder.  'I  know  what  youth  and  hot 
blood  are ;  I,  too,  have  dreamed  of  happiness. 
But  our  rank  means  duty ;  to  you  it  means 
Aloyse  and  the  future  of  our  ancient  house. 
You  think  I'm  harsh,  child,  but  it  is  the 
kindness  of  experience." 

Erica  looked  scorn  at  him.  '  The  grand- 
ducal  house  of  Traubenheim/'  she  said, 
"has  the  throne.  The  ducal  house  has 
the  private  wealth.  Yes,  my  dear  uncle, 

167 


VO_G  D  of  \o  p'o  p  /  \  p_o  o P  /  \p  o  o  D/  \jg  OOP/  \o  OOP/  YD  o  o_nj 

Her       Serene       Highness 

you  are,  indeed,  kind  —  to  yourself  and 
Aloyse.  You  know  —  none  better  —  that 
your  son  is  an  ignorant,  brutish  fool. 
You  know  that  this  life  here  is  dull  and 
repellent — a  hell  on  earth,  a  mockery  of  a 
life,  a  torture-pen  of  yawning  and  mean 
ingless  routine.  Don't  flatter  my  intelli 
gence,  my  dear  uncle,  by  talking  of  your 
kindness  and  my  duty/'  She  started  up. 
"  And  sooner  or  later  I  shall  go  where  love 
and  life  call  me/'  she  exclaimed,  passion 
ately. 

A  ghost  of  a  sardonic  smile  flitted  over 
the  yellow  old  face  at  this  reference  to 
Graf  ton.  Then  he  said,  sternly,  but  with 
out  harshness:  'We  shall  send  the  her 
alds  into  the  town  this  afternoon  to  pro 
claim  the  marriage  for  Monday.  We  shall 
announce  in  the  Gazette  that  the  Inherit 
ing  Grand  Duke  is  ill,  and  that,  because 

168 


Grand  Duke  Prepares  to  Celebrate 

of  your  great  love  for  him  and  his  for  you, 
the  marriage  has  been  hastened.  And  on 
Monday  you  will  be  married/' 

The  old  man  spoke  with  much  dignit}^ 
— the  dignity  of  one  all  his  life  accustomed 
to  being  implicitly  obeyed,  of  one  descended 
from  a  long  line  of  arbitrary  rulers.  And 
although  Erica  denounced  and  denied  his 
command  with  all  the  strength  of  her 
soul,  his  words  sounded  to  her  like  clods 
upon  a  coffin. 

"As  I  said/'  he  went  on,  in  a  gentler 
voice,  "  the  peril  is  past.  That  young  ad 
venturer,  that  young  picture  dealer  from 
across  the  water" — he  laughed — "his  im 
pudence  was  refreshing!  I  admire  au 
dacity;  he  almost  deserved  to  win;  I'm 
not  surprised  that  you  were  almost  swept 
off  your  feet.  But  he  will  not  annoy  you 
further.  He's  gone,  my  child;  he  took 

169 


Her       Serene       Highness 

himself  away  last  night.  So,  feeling  that 
you  were  no  longer  in  danger  of  being 
annoyed  and  humiliated  by  his  imperti 
nences,  I  have  removed  the  guards/' 

"Then  I  am  free?" 

"It  would  be  well/'  said  Casimir,  with 
faint  emphasis,  "for  you  to  keep  within 
The  Castle  for  the  present;  of  course,  you 
must  have  your  walks  under  proper  pro 
tection.  " 

He  extended  his  hand  for  her  to  kiss 
it.  For  the  first  time  in  her  life  the  act 
seemed  not  a  ceremony  but  a  degrada 
tion.  "I  begin  anew  here,"  she  said  to 
herself.  She  pretended  not  to  see  his 
hand.  He  slipped  away  with  his  soft, 
sliding  shuffle.  When  he  walked  in  that 
fashion  those  who  knew  him  feared  him. 


XI 


An     Overwhelming    Defeat 

gftHERE  was  no  time  to  be  lost, 
as  it  was  now  noon,  Saturday, 
and  the  wedding  was  to  be  on 
Monday.     As   soon  as    Ernes 
tine  came  Erica  began  to  act. 

"You  must  go  back  home  at  once," 
she  said  to  her.  'You  have  forgotten 
your  clothes;  that  will  do  as  a  pretext. 
Send  your  brother  to  Schaffhausen  on 
the  first  train.  He  must  see  Mr.  Brandt 
and  tell  him  to  meet  me  to-night  at  the 
first  cross  -  road  beyond  the  park  gates. 
I  shall  try  to  be  there  at  one.  If  I  can 
come  at  all,  it  will  not  be  later  than  three. 

171 


Her       Serene       Highness 

If  he  cannot  come,  he  will  find  me  at  the 
Hotel  Rhein  to-morrow,  or  next  day,  under 
the  name  of  Madam  von  Briesen." 

As  Ernestine  left  The  Castle  a  soldier 
joined  her,  saying:  "My  orders  are  to  go 
with  you  and  let  no  one  speak  to  you 
except  in  my  presence." 

Ernestine  took  this  news  with  a  seeming 
of  great  cheerfulness,  and  jested  with  her 
guard  all  the  way  to  town.  Her  family 
lived  in  three  rooms,  and  with  a  little 
diplomacy  she  easily  delivered  her  mes 
sage  to  her  brother  in  the  rear  room  while 
the  soldier  sat  in  the  front  room  drinking 
beer  with  her  youngest  sister.  But  she 
did  not  venture  to  call  at  Windmuller's,  in 
Duke  Albrecht  Street. 

When  she  returned  to  The  Castle  the 
preparations  for  the  wedding  were  going 
forward  apace.  The  central  part,  where 

172 


An     Overwhelming     Defeat 

were  the  principal  rooms  of  state,  was  open 
at  every  window  and  door;  tradespeople 
were  coming  and  going;  there  were  sounds 
of  hammering,  clouds  of  dust  from  the 
windows,  a  press  of  wagons  about  the 
doors.  The  Grand  Duke  had  decided  to 
make  the  wedding  a  big,  public  affair,  so 
that  Erica  would  feel  that  it  was  impossi 
ble  to  retreat.  And  he  had  left  it  open 
whether  the  ceremony  itself  was  to  be  pub 
lic  or  private. 

At  eleven  that  night  Ernestine  crept 
softly  down  the  corridor  and  reconnoitred 
both  stairways  leading  from  the  apart 
ments  of  Her  Serene  Highness  to  the  lower 
floors.  At  the  foot  of  each  was  a  soldier 
with  a  huge  white  rosette  on  his  left  arm, 
in  honor  of  the  coming  gayeties.  Erica 
had  expected  this;  she  simply  wished  to 
discover  where  the  enemy  lay.  She  dressed 

173 


Her       Serene       Highness 

in  the  uniform  of  a  lieutenant  of  the  House 
hold  Guards.  When  she  and  Ernestine 
had  made  it,  two  years  before,  she  had  been 
full  of  the  idea  of  funning  away  for  several 
days  to  "see  the  world"  from  a  man's 
point  of  view.  But  her  audacity  failed 
her — that  is,  she  permitted  the  obstacles  to 
seem  insurmountable,  and  she  never  got 
beyond  parading  her  rooms  in  it,  with 
Ernestine  as  a  critic  of  her  counterfeit  of 
a  man's  figure  and  walk.  The  feat  she 
now  proposed  would  have  been  extremely 
difficult,  if  not  impossible,  in  woman's 
dress. 

She  was  putting  the  finishing  touches 
to  her  masculine  toilet  when  Ernestine 
hurried  into  her  dressing-room  in  a  panic. 
Baron  Zeppstein  was  waiting  to  see  her. 
Erica  drew  off  her  top  -  boots  and  thrust 
her  feet  into  a  pair  of  slippers;  she  drew 

174 


An     Overwhelming     Defeat 

on  a  loose  wrapper,  tied  a  white  shawl 
about  her  shoulders,  and,  letting  down  her 
hair,  appeared  before  the  Baron. 

Zeppstein's  old  head  was  almost  knock 
ing  his  swollen  knee-joints.  "By  His 
Royal  Highnesses  command,  Your  Serene 
Highness/'  he  said,  humbly,  "I  come  to 
inquire  of  you  in  person  whether  you  are 
entirely  comfortable. ' ' 

Erica  was  gracious,  bade  him  sit,  asked 
about  the  preparations  for  the  wedding  in 
detail,  made  several  adroit  remarks  which 
seemed  to  indicate  that  she  was  secretly 
preparing  to  yield  but  did  not  wish  to 
gratify  the  Grand  Duke  and  humiliate 
herself  by  relieving  his  suspense.  Zepp- 
stein  went  away  convinced,  and  was  able 
to  make  a  convincing  report  which  stood 
the  test  of  Casimir's  exhaustive  and  search 
ing  cross-examination. 

175 


Her       Serene       Highness 

It  was  now  midnight  and  Ernestine  put 
out  all  lights.  She  was  to  go  to  bed, 
and  if  any  one  came  and  insisted  upon 
seeing  her  mistress,  she  was  to  detain  him 
as  long  as  possible,  and  profess  ignorance 
and  alarm  should  the  flight  be  discovered. 

Erica  advanced  down  the  lofty  stone 
passage-way.  It  was  an  alternation  of 
bands  of  darkness  and  bands  of  moonlight. 
She  took  the  second  corridor  to  the  left 
and  stole  along  it  until,  in  the  darkness, 
her  foot  touched  the  first  step  of  the  ascend 
ing  stairway.  She  went  up,  opened  the 
door  at  the  top,  and  entered.  When  she 
had  bolted  this  door  she  breathed  more 
freely. 

She  went  up  a  second  and  narrower 
flight  of  stairs  and  slipped  through  a  win 
dow  to  a  small  balcony.  It  was  in  the 
full  moonlight,  but  it  looked  only  upon 

176 


An     Overwhelming     Defeat 

the  roofs  and  the  deserted  battlements  of 
The  Castle.  Holding  to  the  ridge  of  stone 
above  her  head  she  stepped  to  the  next 
balcony.  From  this  she  was  able  to  go 
out  upon  the  ledge  extending  along  the 
huge  tower  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  above 
the  battlements.  The  ledge  was  narrow 
and  there  was  no  hold  for  her  hands.  She 
clung  to  the  wall  and  sidled  slowly  along, 
feeling  her  way  with  her  feet  and  her  body. 
She  did  not  dare  open  her  eyes  except 
when  she  paused. 

At  last  she  came  to  the  place  where  the 
ledge  passed  immediately  above  and  very 
close  to  the  pointed  roof  of  the  throne-room. 
She  stepped  down  softly  and  cautiously; 
the  roof  was  steep,  and,  should  she  slip,  she 
would  slide  to  the  edge,  where,  if  she  did 
not  fall  to  the  battlements,  she  would  cling 

until   rescued  and   returned   to   captivity. 
12  177 


Her       Serene       Highness 

She  worked  herself  along  the  ridge  of  the 
roof  to  the  great  circular  skylight  which 
divided  it  into  two  parts.  She  glanced 
down  through  one  of  the  open  sections. 
Scores  of  people  were  at  work  decorating 
the  throne-room  for  the  wedding. 

"If  I  fail,"  she  thought,  "I  shall  be 
forced  there,  perhaps,  and  it  is  set  for 
to-morrow!" 

The  last  qualm  of  nervousness  left  her. 
She  walked  the  ledge  round  the  skylight 
and  crawled  out  upon  the  pointed  roof 
beyond.  She  drew  herself  along  it  until 
she  was  above  one  of  the  windows  pro 
jecting  from  the  slope  of  the  roof.  She 
let  herself  down;  she  touched  the  cap  of 
the  window;  she  slid  slowly  along  the 
outer  edge  of  its  frame  until  she  was  able 
to  reach  round  into  it. 

It  was  fastened.  Clinging  to  roof  and 

178 


An     Overwhelming     Defeat 

window  -  frame  she  unbuckled  her  sword, 
and  with  it  broke  a  pane  of  glass.  She 
listened;  not  a  sound  after  the  echo  of 
the  crash  had  died  away.  Then  she 
became  conscious  that  some  one  else  was 
on  that  roof. 

With  heart  beating  wildly  and  body 
trembling  she  peered  round  the  window- 
frame.  Far  away  along  the  ridge  of  the 
roof  she  saw  a  shape  which  was  unmis 
takably  a  man's.  And  as  she  watched, 
it  moved;  it  was  some  one  coming  from 
the  eastern  end  towards  her.  Had  he  seen 
her,  or  had  he  come  after  she  had  slid  be 
hind  the  window  -  frame?  She  feared  he 
was  on  his  way  to  intercept  her,  but  she 
did  not  lose  heart. 

She  reached  through  the  broken  pane 
and  unfastened  the  window  and  opened 
it.  Then,  with  as  little  noise  and  as  little 

179 


Her       Serene       Highness 

exposure  of  herself  as  the  profound  quiet 
and  the  brightness  of  the  moon  permitted, 
she  crawled  round  the  projecting  frame 
and  into  the  window.  She  ventured  to 
glance  out  and  upward  again ;  the  man 
was  creeping  along  the  ridge;  he  had 
passed  the  point  where  he  would  have 
begun  to  descend  towards  her  if  he  had 
seen  or  heard  her;  he  was  moving  in  the 
direction  from  which  she  had  come.  With 
a  long  sigh  she  closed  the  window.  "  Two 
minutes  later/'  she  said  to  herself,  "and 
I  should  have  been  taken. " 

She  was  in  an  empty  room,  in  the  attic 
of  the  extreme  eastern  end  of  the  central 
part  of  The  Castle.  She  brushed  her  uni 
form,  straightened  her  belt  and  sword, 
set  her  helmet  well  forward  on  her  head, 
and  sallied  forth.  She  went  down  the 
stairway,  cobwebs  clinging  to  her  face 

180 


An     Overwhelming     Defeat 

and  sounds  of  the  movements  of  disturbed 
creatures — bats  or  birds — coming  to  her 
through  the  darkness.  At  the  foot  of  a 
second  and  long  flight  of  stairs  she  found 
herself  on  the  landing  from  which  two 
great  corridors  branched — the  one  to  the 
right  leading  to  liberty,  the  one  to  the  left 
leading  to  her  cousin  Aloyse's  apart 
ments. 

Some  one  was  coming  towards  her  in 
the  corridor  to  the  right;  she  was  com 
pelled  to  take  Aloyse's  corridor.  The  foot 
steps  —  they  were  cautious  footsteps  —  fol 
lowed  her.  She  shrank  into  a  niche  and 
stood  like  a  statue.  As  the  man  passed 
a  window  the  moonlight  revealed  him  to 
her — Prince  von  Moltzahn.  He  was  disre 
garding  her  uncle's  prohibition  and  was 
coming  to  see  Aloyse.  He  opened  a  door 
so  nearly  opposite  where  she  stood  that  she 

181 


Her       Serene       Highness 

could  see  into  the  room — could  see  Aloyse, 
in  a  dressing-gown,  seated  at  a  table  on 
which  was  a  tray  containing  bottles  of 
whiskey  and  soda. 

"Ah!  von  Moltzahn;  you  were  never 
so  welcome.  No;  leave  the  door  open. 
It's  frightful  in  here.  I  can't  breathe. 
Help  yourself  to  the  whiskey." 

"I  expected  to  find  you  ill/'  said  Molt 
zahn.  "His  Royal  Highness  has  given 
out  that  you  have  a  fever." 

'Yes;  and  he's  shut  me  up  here  until 
the  wedding.  He  treats  me  like  a  dog. 
But  wait  until  I'm  married  and  get  hold 
of  some  cash.  He  won't  be  able  to  keep 
his  feet  on  my  neck  then." 

"  But  why  has  he  shut  you  in?" 

"  I  wanted  to  tell  Her  Serene  Highness 
that  I'd  killed  that  American  pig." 

Erica  heard;  but  not  until  the  words 

182 


An     Overwhelming     Defeat 

had  repeated  themselves  again  and  again 
in  her  brain  did  she  understand  them. 
Her  cousin  went  on:  "He  was  pleased 
when  I  told  him;  he  gave  me  one  of  his 
peaches.  But  he  doesn't  want  her  to 
know  about  it.  He  doesn't  understand 
women's — " 

'WThat  was  that?"  exclaimed  Moltzahn, 
and  both  leaped  to  their  feet.  Aloyse 
rushed  to  the  doorway. 

Erica  had  sunk  straight  down  to  the 
floor,  and,  as  her  collapsed  body  fell  over, 
her  sword  and  helmet  clashed  against 
the  stone.  Aloyse,  looking  into  the  dim 
ness,  could  see  the  form  of  a  soldier— sug 
gestions  of  the  uniform  of  the  Household 
Guards.  He  muttered  a  curse. 

"What  is  it?"  called  Moltzahn. 

'The  old  brute  has  put  a  guard  over 
me,"  said  Aloyse,  turning  back,  "and 

183 


Her       Serene       Highness 

the  fellow's  in  a  drunken   sleep.     You'd 
better  go." 

Moltzahh  fled,  with  only  a  glance  at 
Erica,  and  Aloyse  closed  his  door  and 
went  sullenly  to  bed.  Gradually  the  cool 
ness  of  the  stone  revived  her.  She  sat 
up — and  remembered.  She  could  not  im 
agine,  did  not  try  to  imagine,  how  long 
she  had  lain  there  or  why  she  had  not 
been  discovered.  A  wave  of  desolation 
swept  over  her.  She  had  thought  she 
loved  this  man  who  had  come  into  her 
life  so  suddenly,  who  had  taken  her  heart 
by  storm,  who  had  opened  for  her  a  way 
of  escape  from  a  wearisome  life  which 
marriage  to  her  cousin  would  have  made 
hideous,  unendurable.  But  she  did  not 
until  now  realize  how  much  she  loved  him 
— not  as  her  liberator  but  as  her  lover. 
"No;  he  is  not  dead!"  her  heart  protest- 

184 


An     Overwhelming     Defeat 

ed.  "  Aloyse  is  a  liar,  a  braggart.  There 
is  some  mistake/' 

She  dragged  herself  to  her  feet.  "  I  will 
go  back/'  she  moaned.  "Dead — my  love 
is  dead!"  She  knew  that  it  was  the 
truth;  she  felt  that  it  was  a  lie.  "But  I 
shall  go  back — " 

To  what?  To  be  the  wife  of  the  man 
she  had  heard  boasting  of  his  murder. 
She  became  suddenly  strong.  "Never! 
Never!"  And  aching  with  grief,  yet  hoping 
beside  the  corpse  of  hope,  she  rushed  on 
until  she  was  almost  in  the  arms  of  a 
sentinel.  She  turned  back  and  dropped 
upon  a  bench  round  a  corner  a  few  feet 
from  him.  The  big  bell  of  the  chapel 
boomed  half-past  one.  She  rose  and  went 
a  few  steps  in  the  direction  of  Aloyse's 
room.  Hate,  a  passion  for  vengeance, 
was  bounding  through  her  veins;  she 

185 


Her       Serene       Highness 

would  wrench  the  truth  from  him,   then 
kill  him. 

But  now  there  came  the  sound  of  sever 
al  shots  and  confused  shouts.  The  sen 
tinel  ran,  and  she  turned  and  followed 
him  across  one  of  the  huge  entrance  halls 
out  into  the  open;  the  cool  air  from  the 
mountains  poured  upon  her,  and  her  heart 
began  to  revive.  She  saw  a  man  dart 
from  the  shadow  of  The  Castle's  walls 
to  the  west,  strike  down  a  soldier  who 
barred  his  path,  and  run  zig-zag  towards 
the  forest.  All  were  rushing  in  that  direc 
tion,  and  she  ran  also,  but  as  quickly  as 
she  could  plunged  into  the  deep  shadows. 
She  made  a  detour  and  took  a  course 
parallel  to  the  road  that  led  to  the  park 
gates,  two  miles  and  a  half  away.  She 
must  get  to  the  cross-roads  where  Ernes 
tine's  brother  would  be  waiting — to  tell 

186 


VAMA/      VAAMf      WMf      VAAMf     VW$f 

m  n  n  p  /  \p  n  D  n  '  \  c  o  n  of  Von  n  r?  I  i  o  o  o  PI 

An     Overwhelming     Defeat 

her  that  her  lover  was  dead!  But  instead 
of  enfeebling  her  the  thought  carried  only 
enough  conviction  of  its  truth  to  inflame 
her  desire  to  get  away — to  fly  where  she 
would  never  again  see  the  wretch  who  had 
desolated  her. 

There  was  some  one  in  the  shadow  ahead ; 
it  must  be  the  escaping  robber.  But  how 
would  he — how  would  she — pass  the  senti 
nel  at  the  park  gates?  The  alarm  must 
have  been  signalled  from  The  Castle.  She 
was  almost  exhausted.  She  could  see 
the  robber  —  he  was  between  her  and  the 
one  dim  gate  -  lamp  over  the  small  side 
gate.  He  heard  her  coming  and  whirled 
about. 

"Come  on!"  she  panted,  hoarsely;  were 
they  not  companions  in  flight?  "I'll  get 
you  through!" 

He  followed  her  as  she  ran  straight  for 

187 


Her       Serene       Highness 

the  sentry,  who  was  standing  with  his  gun 
at  a  challenge. 

"Halt!"  said  the  sentry,  loudly. 

"Quick!  Quick!  Open!"  she  panted. 
The  robber,  who  had  been  standing  aloof, 
suspicious  of  her  now  that  he  saw  her 
uniform,  came  forward.  The  sentry  also 
noted  the  uniform  and  saluted.  'There's 
been  a  robbery  or  something  at  The  Cas 
tle — "  he  began. 

"Yes— yes,"  she  gasped.  "That's  it- 
open — don't  delay  us!" 

The  sentry  stupidly  stood  aside,  and  she 
and  the  robber  dashed  through  the  side 
gate  and  down  the  dark  road  abreast. 

"Hi!  Come  back!"  yelled  the  sentry, 
his  slow  wits  at  last  collecting  in  a  doubt. 
He  sent  a  shot  after  them. 

But  they  ran  the  faster,  getting  into 
the  deepest  shadow.  At  the  second  bend 

1 88 


An     Overwhelming     Defeat 

from  the  gates  she  stopped  and  sank  into 
the  grass.  The  robber  stopped  also. 

"Go  on/'  she  gasped,  in  a  whisper;  her 
voice  was  all  but  gone.  "  Don't  mind  me/' 

"That  wouldn't  be  fair/'  he  said.  At 
the  sound  of  his  voice  she  rose  up,  flung 
her  arms  about  his  neck,  and  fainted. 

"  Well !"  ejaculated  the  man.  "  What  '11 
I  do  with  him?"  He  held  her  in  his  arms, 
looking  helplessly  about.  He  tried  to  lift 
her  to  his  shoulders,  but  he  was  too  ex 
hausted  to  bear  the  additional  weight.  He 
laid  her  in  the  grass  and  ran  on  down  the 
road. 

She  came  to  in  the  dampness  and  cold 
of  the  long  grass.  As  she  sat  up  a  troop 
of  cavalry  rushed  by  on  its  way  to  the 
town.  She  began  to  remember;  she  had 
got  the  robber  through  the  gates,  and 
then  delirium  had  seized  her  and  she  had 


Her      Serene      Highness 

fancied  he  was  Grafton  —  no,  it  was  not 
delirium;  he  was  Grafton!  She  under 
stood  now;  her  message  had  not  reached 
him,  but  he  had  come  on  his  own  plan;  it 
was  he  who  passed  her  on  the  roof  of  the 
throne-room;  it  was  he  who,  seeking  her, 
had  been  discovered,  and,  making  a  dash 
for  liberty,  had  given  her  the  chance 
to  escape — no,  it  was  not  delirium.  But 
where  was  he  now?  She  could  hear  only 
the  murmur  of  the  woods.  Why  had  he 
left  her  after  she  had  flung  her  arms  about 
his  neck? 

From  far  down  the  road  in  the  direction 
of  the  town  came  a  rush  and  roar  as  of  a 
locomotive.  She  rose  to  her  knees,  to  her 
feet.  It  was  a  racing-automobile.  As  it 
drew  near  its  pace  slackened  and  its  noise 
grew  louder.  It  came  to  a  stop  a  few  feet 
from  her  and  stood  shaking  and  panting. 

190 


An     Overwhelming     Defeat 

"Somewhere  along  here/'  she  heard, 
in  Grafton's  voice,  and  he  leaped  from  the 
seat  and  came  into  the  shadow.  "Oh, 
there  you  are!  Why  didn't  you  call  out? 
Come,  get  in  here!"  And  he  caught  her 
by  the  arm.  "  Don't  you  hear  the  cavalry 
coming  back?"  He  half  lifted,  half  flung 
her  into  the  seat  and  leaped  in  himself. 
'Turn  about,  Burroughs,  and  go  straight 
for  'em!" 

She  tried  to  speak,  but  she  was  dumb, 
limp.  The  automobile  sprang  forward  and 
was  soon  going  at  a  tremendous  pace;  it 
would  have  been  impossible  for  a  voice 
to  be  heard.  She  looked  ahead;  the  wind 
was  shrieking  in  her  ears;  the  cavalry 
men  had  halted  in  a  moonlit  stretch  of 
the  road. 

She  could  see  their  pistols  lifting.  '  They 
are  about  to  fire!"  she  thought. 

191 


Her       Serene       Highness 

She  flung  off  her  helmet,  released  her 
hair,  and  stood  up.  The  moon  was  shin 
ing  full  upon  her  face  and  upon  her  long 
hair  streaming  and  gleaming  behind  her. 
She  saw  the  pistols  instantly  fall  before 
the  apparition  of  "Her  Serene  Highness/' 
and  the  horses  reined  back  upon  their 
haunches.  The  automobile  rushed  past 
them  at  the  speed  of  an  express  train  and 
fled,  unpursued  and  unpursuable,  along 
the  military  road  towards  the  Swiss  border. 

She  felt  somebody's  arms  close  about 
her  and  then  somebody's  kisses  on  her 
face. 


XII 


The    Spaniard    is     Captured 

T  dinner  at  the  Hotel  Krone, 
Schaffhausen,  that  same  even 
ing,  Grafton  told  his  wife  and 
Burroughs  the  story  of  the 
Spaniard  —  how  it  had  led  him  to  her. 
She  secretly  resolved  that  the  Spaniard 
must  and  should  be  theirs.  In  the  morn 
ing  she  wrote  her  uncle  an  offer  to  give 
up  -the  part  of  her  estates  that  lay 
in  the  Grand  Duchy  in  exchange  for  the 
picture.  The  acceptance  came,  prompt 
and  polite;  Casimir  is  not  the  man  to 
bite  his  nails  and  chatter  his  teeth  at  fate. 
And  so  there  was  a  surprise  for  Grafton 
when  they  went  to  Paris. 

'3  193 


Her       Serene       Highness 

And  this  is  the  true  story  of  how  it 
happens  that  the  spurious  Velasquez  again 
hangs  in  the  Grafton  house  in  Michigan 
Avenue.  But  it  is  not  in  its  old  place  in 
the  galleries.  It  is  on  the  wall  beyond  the 
foot  of  Mrs.  Graf  ton's  bed. 


THE  END 


BY  ROBERT  W.  CHAMBERS 


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LOCHINVAR.     A  Novel.     Illustrated  by 
T.  DE  THULSTRUP. 

Admirers  of  S.  R.  Crockett  will  find  occasion  for 
neither  surprise  nor  disappointment  in  his  new 
story,  "  Lochinvar."  It  is  just  what  we  might 
expect  of  him  after  the  assurance  his  other  writings 
have  given  of  the  stability  of  his  capacity  for  fine 
romantic  fiction.  He  gives  every  indication  that 
he  is  in  the  plenitude  of  his  powers  and  graces  as  a 
constructionist  and  narrator. — Washington  Times. 

THE  GRAY  MAN.    A  Novel.    Illustrated 
by  SEYMOUR  LUCAS,  R.A. 

A  strong  book,  .  .  .  masterly  in  its  por 
trayals  of  character  and  historic  events. — Boston 
Congr emotionalist. 

Post  8vo,   Ornamented   Cloth,   $i  50   per 
volume. 


HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS 


NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 


of  the  above  works  will  be  sent  by  mail, 
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MARY      E.      WILKINS'      WORKS 


THE  PORTION  OF  LABOR.    Illustrated.     $i  50. 
The  story  of  an  American  girl. 

UNDERSTUDIES.     Illustrated.     $i  25. 
SILENCE,  and  Other  Stories.  Second  Edition.  $1  25. 
JEROME  :  A  POOR  MAN.     $i  50. 

A  NEW  ENGLAND  NUN,  and  Other  Stories.  $i  25. 
They  are  all  interesting,  full  of  careful  studies 
of  life  and  nature,  written  wholly  without  pretence  or 
affectation,  with  a  feeling  of  sweet  human  sympathy, 
gilded  by  pleasant  touches  of  humor. — OLIVER 
WENDELL  HOLMES,  writing  of  Miss  Wilkins' 
stories. 

JANE  FIELD.     A  Novel.     $i  25. 

This  is  one  of  the  cleverest  and  best-thought- 
out  books  of  the  season. — Black  and  White. 

PEMBROKE.     $i  50. 

This  is  the  gem  of  Miss  Wilkins'  very  remarka 
ble  productions. — The  Spectator. 

MADELON.     $i  25. 

YOUNG  LUCRETIA,   and  Other  Stories.     Illus 
trated.     $i  25. 

We  know  of  no  one  who  can  write  a  short  story 
with  such  art  and  simplicity  as  Miss  Wilkins,  and 
every  tale  is  invested  with  a  charm  and  a  pathos 
which  it  would  be  hard  to  match. — Birmingham 
Daily  Gazette.  

HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS 

NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 

8^"  Any  of  the  above  works  will  be  sent  by  mail, 
Postage  prepaid,  to  any  part  of  the  United  States, 
Canada,  or  Mexico,  on  receipt  of  the  price. 


NRLf 


THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  SANTA  CRUZ 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  DATE  stamped  below. 


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